England manager Thomas Tuchel believes Serbia will be a totally different side under new coach Paunovic; insists 5-0 victory over them previously counts for nothing
England players celebrate a goal during their 5-0 rout of Serbia in September. Pic/Getty Images
Thomas Tuchel has urged his England team to be wary of Serbia in Thursday’s World Cup qualifying match despite an easy 5-0 win the last time the two sides faced each other in September.
Serbia have since replaced Dragan Stojkovic with Veljko Paunovic, who will make his debut in the Serbian dugout against England, which has led Tuchel to admit he does not know what to expect of his opponents.
“We don’t know what is coming from the structure, we can just guess and presume what we think is coming when we analyse the coach’s teams so it is a big test for us to adapt in the game, adapt in our press and adapt in our shape depending on what the opponent is offering. We basically have no evidence of the team and coach playing together,” said Tuchel.
Thomas Tuchel
However, while reflecting on the two sides’s most recent encounter, Tuchel challenged his charges to recreate the same kind of performance.
“In Belgrade it was mostly down to us that we did not let Serbia show their quality. It was mainly down to our quality. We did not let Serbia breathe or get into the match. Now, it is a new coach with new energy and the same strong, proud group of players and we have to do it all again,” said Tuchel.
Meanwhile, the England boss also admitted that Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham faces a fight to earn a place in England’s starting line-up at the World Cup.
Bellingham is back in Tuchel’s squad after being left out of the last international gathering in October.
The 22-year-old had just returned from shoulder surgery when Tuchel opted against selecting him for the Wales and Latvia matches last month, allowing Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers to shine in the number 10 role for England.
“Rather than finding a position for the best players to have them on the field, it is maybe better to put everyone in their best position and have a competition,” Tuchel told reporters on Wednesday when asked if he would try to fit both players into his team.
England have already secured their World Cup berth, after a 5-0 win against Latvia which made them irreplaceable at the top of Group K.
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