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Thomas Tuchel hints at potential midfield pairing for World Cup and urges England players to…

Subs transform the match as England extend historic run

Bukayo Saka’s crisp volley set the tone early on, but it was the late-game surge led by Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Eberechi Eze that restored England’s control and secured all three points. Serbia frustrated Tuchel’s side with a compact defensive shape, and England needed patient buildup play to break through. Tuchel turned to his bench early in the second half, releasing a wave of attacking talent that immediately shifted the rhythm. Eze capped a lively cameo with a superb late strike, doubling England’s advantage, while Foden and Bellingham came on as substitutes to help the Three Lions see things out.

Anderson emerges as Tuchel’s midfield revelation

Tuchel seems increasingly convinced that Elliot Anderson is the man to partner Declan Rice at the World Cup. Against Serbia, Anderson delivered another commanding performance. Although he is adept at playing in a more advanced role at Nottingham Forest, the player has adapted seamlessly to a deeper role for England. He averages 118 touches per 90 minutes in England’s qualifying run, which is a figure usually reserved for seasoned international metronomes.

Tuchel made no attempt to downplay his growing reliance on the 23-year-old: "Elliot and Declan are at the moment ahead in midfield. They are a very good pair and complement each other very well. They are performing at the highest level for club and country. Biggest complement to both of them. We took Declan out [of the last match] after 65 minutes to have the chance to play again, Elliot played 90 minutes and it is his first season to play international games as well as for Nottingham Forest, he is a key player there too."

Tuchel calls for hunger as records fall

The victory against Serbia took England to seven wins from seven qualifiers, boasting an astonishing 20 goals scored and not a single goal shipped in. No European nation has ever reached this stage of a World Cup qualifying cycle with a 100 per cent clean sheet and winning record. Despite England’s flawless defensive record, Tuchel insisted he has never spoken about chasing history. For him, the focus remains on mentality, not milestones.

"I didn't speak a single word about that. We made sure we had yesterday the training session that we had, the quality and mentality of the guys who didn't play was on the highest level which was pure pleasure to watch and be part of," he said. "It showed me again that we are building and growing in the right way. Everyone is ready to play, everyone is desperate to start. The competition is still on, the hunger is on to be on the pitch tomorrow. That is the most important.

"Today we prepared for Albania and we prepared our offensive solutions, spoke about the defensive structure of Albania like always and had a tactical training session. Everything we talk about is about the process and about the things that we can influence. We need to get the foundation right to have a chance to have these records. Just by thinking about it or by talking about it nothing will change, we need to deliver tomorrow again. The feeling and the trust is absolutely there because I witnessed this in camp. I trust my players to perform again tomorrow."

England turn focus to final test in Albania

England now travel to Albania for their final qualifier, seeking to complete an unprecedented perfect campaign. While qualification is already assured, the fixture offers Tuchel another chance to refine combinations and evaluate players who are pushing for greater involvement.

"In general, I just hope and I feel the hunger for us to win and to achieve something is bigger than the fear of losing and the fear of maybe losing a record of clean sheets," he said. "These things just happen. We are well aware that we put a lot of effort in to defend as a team and it's only possible to have so many clean sheets because we defend properly as a team which is the case but you also need a bit of luck in certain moments. We should not focus too much on what we have to lose, we should be more excited about the next possibility to show our quality and to have another exciting and intense match."

With Rice and Anderson emerging as the heartbeat of Tuchel’s midfield, the manager appears closer than ever to identifying the foundation of the team he hopes will carry England deep into the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

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