Serbia Vs England: Can Tuchel Ignite A New Era For The Three Lions?

Add as a preferred source on Google

England's manager, Thomas Tuchel, is on the brink of joining an elite group of coaches by winning his first five competitive matches. Only Fabio Capello, Ron Greenwood, and Sven-Goran Eriksson have achieved this feat before. Despite the victories, England's performances under Tuchel have been less than thrilling. Their recent 2-0 win over Andorra at Villa Park was expected against a team ranked 174th by FIFA.

In their match against Andorra, England secured a win with goals from Christian Garcia and Declan Rice. However, the team's overall performance has been criticised for lacking excitement. England managed only 11 shots in the game, with just one after Rice's goal in the 67th minute. This was reminiscent of their match against Wales in March 2011 when they had fewer attempts against a lower-ranked team.

Tuchel's approach has drawn comparisons to Gareth Southgate's pragmatic style. Despite having many talented players, Tuchel's tactics have not impressed fans. Yet, England remains effective against weaker teams. They have scored eight goals in four qualifiers and boast the fourth-highest expected goals (xG) among European teams at 11.0.

Serbia presents a tougher challenge for England than previous opponents. They have lost only one of their last 24 World Cup qualifiers since October 2017. Serbia's home record is impressive, with just one defeat in their last 28 home qualifiers since September 2001. Dragan Stojkovic's team has maintained three consecutive clean sheets in World Cup qualifiers.

Serbia has scored four goals in three qualifiers through strikers Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic. Despite creating numerous chances, they have underperformed their xG by 0.7. Filip Kostic is a key player for Serbia, leading in chances created and crosses during their match against Latvia.

Key Players to Watch

Aleksandar Mitrovic is a familiar name to Premier League fans and poses a significant threat to England's defence. He recently moved from Al-Hilal to Al Rayyan but remains Serbia's top scorer with 62 international goals. Mitrovic has scored eight times in his last seven World Cup qualifying starts.

Harry Kane is eager to end his six-game goal drought for England. Despite limited touches against Andorra, Tuchel defended Kane's performance. The England captain has scored away goals against 15 different nations and aims to add Serbia to that list.

England will rely on Declan Rice to support their attack due to injuries to Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden's absence from the squad. Rice has contributed significantly in recent matches with three goals and four assists in his last 12 appearances.

Upcoming Challenge Against Serbia

England faces a stern test as they travel to Stadion Rajko Mitic on Tuesday for their first visit to Serbia as an independent nation since playing Yugoslavia in November 1987. The Opta supercomputer predicts England as favourites with a 50.3% chance of winning based on simulations.

Serbia aims to leverage their home advantage and strong defensive record to surprise England. With experienced players like Filip Kostic and Aleksandar Mitrovic leading the charge, Serbia hopes to maintain their unbeaten run in Group K alongside England.

The Three Lions' defence remains solid under Tuchel, having kept clean sheets in their last six competitive fixtures. They aim to match their longest streak of seven consecutive clean sheets set between October 1988 and October 1989 under Bobby Robson.

As both teams prepare for this crucial qualifier, football fans anticipate an exciting clash between two strong sides vying for dominance in Group K.