Thomas Tuchel heaped praise on Noni Madueke after England’s statement World Cup qualifying win over ten-man Serbia, but told the winger he still needed to add more goals to his game going forward.
Madueke produced arguably his finest performance yet in an England shirt and doubled the visitors’ lead with a dinked 35th-minute finish – via an exquisite Morgan Rogers assist – in a rampant 5-0 victory.
Captain Harry Kane, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi also got on the scoresheet to silence Belgrade’s Rajko Mitic Stadium, before second-half substitute Marcus Rashford put the icing on the cake with a well-taken penalty at the death.
Madueke’s composed strike was his first at senior level for the Three Lions – in what was his ninth appearance – and the sense of pride was written all over his face as he wheeled away to celebrate with his team-mates.
The forward – who swapped Chelsea for Arsenal this summer – will look to further strengthen his case for a starting role in Tuchel’s attack when England return to action against Latvia next month.
Your ultimate guide to the football season
Metro’s football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it’s an open goal.
The result ensured England maintained their 100 per cent record in Group K after five games, with Tuchel’s men sitting seven points clear of nearest rivals Albania
‘He has the speed and he has the ability to win one-vs-one duels,’ England head coach Tuchel said of Madueke’s eye-catching display.
‘I’m very happy that he scored today and was involved in goals because this is something he needs to add to his game: efficiency, being involved in goals with assists and finishes and goals.
‘So that’s why I’m very happy today because he played with a hunger and with a directness.
‘On top of that, he needs to stay focussed and I’m most happy about his attitude today, the reaction after ball losses, the work that he put in to help Reece (James) because we played a back four against a back five, so to help against the wing-backs and to push forward and do pressing.
‘The work-rate is what I like the most in his performance today and, yeah, from there he’s fast, he’s direct, he likes to dribble. That’s what we want from him.’
Tuchel was immensely satisfied with England’s all-round showing, which capped off what he felt had been a ‘brilliant’ camp ‘from start to finish’.
‘We were very strong,’ the German added.
‘I think it was teamwork in the purest form. We helped each other out, we had the right intensity in the right moments, we put the work in to not allow one shot on target for a strong home team.
‘If you want to do this, you need to support each other, you need to play disciplined and keep the intensity up… this is what we did and the players did excellent.
‘Full credit to the team. We had a brilliant week from start to finish and this was the proof of it.’
Four things we learned from England’s thumping win over Serbia
Some Mad options
Given England’s dominance over Serbia, it’s easy to forget they’re missing some of the first names on the team sheet.
Noni Madueke offered one of the few positive notes in the Andorra snorer and offered plenty again in Belgrade, with his first England goal a cracker. He’s only starting because Arsenal team-mate Bukayo Saka is injured.
Morgan Rogers showed some lovely touches (including a sublime flick in the build-up to Madueke’s goal) and, with Elliot Anderson again assured after an impressive debut at the weekend, it augurs well for the depth of Tuchel’s options.
Spot on for confidence
How important will Marcus Rashford’s late penalty prove? Matters not one iota in qualification terms, but some players are confidence players and Rashford seems to be one who hits peaks and troughs more than most.
Stepping in for spot-kick duties with Harry Kane given a breather on the bench, tucking away his first international goal for two years will do him the world of good. I’m still not really a fan of stuttery, pausey run-ups – just Julian Dicks it, lads – but he converted with aplomb.
Marc’s the man
Flagged by many as an example of why not to do the right thing after his transfer woes, Marc Guehi was his usual model-pro self, got his first England goal and told ITV post-match how much he always loves joining up with England.
No sign of a hangover from his deadline-day move to Liverpool collapsing – he just gets on with his job. Unflappable and rock solid. No wonder Liverpool want him and Palace want to keep him.
If the cap’s fit
Harry Kane’s still the main man for goals. Even when England are rubbish, he, more often than not, scores. England started well, but would it have been such a positive night had Kane not broken the deadlock?
Maybe, maybe not, but on past evidence there must be a chance another ten minutes without a goal may have let to frustration and the onset of that turgid inertia we all know too well.
We’ve all heard the ‘moves like he’s towing a caravan’ comments at major tournaments, but nobody knows the way to goal like him. If he’s fit, he starts at the World Cup.
Analysis from Dave Filmer, Metro Deputy Sport Editor
Asked if England gave a ‘perfect performance’ in Belgrade, Tuchel replied: ‘No, there is no perfect performance but, for today, it was a very, very good performance.
‘I’m just going to repeat myself, we had a brilliant week and I told you yesterday: I see what I see, I feel what I feel and I’m just glad for the players that they could show that to the fans.
‘They showed the fans, who were excellent by the way, and the fans back home what we are capable of and how this team worked together in this camp, that’s what I’m happy for.
‘It was a very good performance with a perfect result.’
Speaking shortly after the final whistle, a beaming Madueke said he was ‘delighted’ with the team’s display.
‘I’m delighted for the team performance, for the win,’ he told ITV’s Gabriel Clarke.
‘I think it was a really, really top performance today and, yeah, thank God I was able to score the goal. It was just a top day overall.’
On his first-half goal, Madueke added: ‘It was a great flick from Morgan (Rogers) and as soon as it broke for me I had one thought in my head which was to go as fast as I could to the goal and then compose myself for the finish.
‘I’m really happy. It was a great feeling, of course. It’s something you work for and you dream of when you’re a lot younger and for it to come to fruition today is a great feeling.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Arsenal star Declan Rice praises England teammate who ‘made it look easy’ in Serbia win
MORE: Roy Keane names England star who has caused a ‘problem’ for Thomas Tuchel after Serbia win
MORE: Omar Marmoush injury update from Egypt ahead of Man City v Man Utd clash
