Last month, England put in their best performance, and recorded their best result, since Thomas Tuchel took over almost a year ago. The 5-0 thrashing of Serbia came in the absence of some of England’s biggest stars.
Only four members of the starting XI in Belgrade had more than 20 international caps.
The big call for the England manager now is, with many of those big names back and available, do they come straight back into the squad, and the starting XI?
The answer to that first question is “yes”: Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka will both immediately return to Tuchel’s squad, now that they’ve recovered from injury.
It would also be a huge surprise if the bang-in-form Phil Foden – dropped from the last squad because of his poor performances rather than injury – was not recalled at the first time of asking too. Two goals and two assists already this season, those statistics don’t do justice to just how well he is playing. He was Manchester City’s best performer again in the Champions League draw in Monaco this week – in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, Foden is the metronome which makes City tick right now.
Interesting too that he has been used increasingly as a number eight by Pep Guardiola. With England overloaded with talent at number 10, Foden may ultimately get more game-time playing a little deeper for his country, in the middle of midfield alongside Declan Rice. Although with Cole Palmer still missing because of injury, Foden’s versatility could be a big bonus for the England boss.
Speaking of versatility, Tuchel has praised Tino Livramento, who got the nod at left-back for England, ahead of Myles Lewis-Skelly, in Belgrade last month. However, Livramento could be out for up to two months, having been stretchered off against Arsenal at the weekend, and Lewis-Skelly is second choice to Riccardo Calafiori for the Gunners right now. In fact, Lewis-Skelly’s 90 minutes against Olympiacos in the Champions League was his first club start (outside the Carabao Cup) all season.
Crystal Palace defender Tyrick Mitchell has been in good form
That means Tuchel has a problem at left back, and it increases the chances of Crystal Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell getting an England recall for the first time since 2022. The England manager was at Selhurst Park on Saturday to see Mitchell excel in the 2-1 win over Liverpool. Tottenham’s Djed Spence, who made his senior international debut in Serbia, remains in the mix.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s hamstring injury prevents the need for a difficult decision over his inclusion (or otherwise) for this squad. But how he fits into Tuchel’s plans going forward (if, indeed, he does fit) remains a key discussion in the background.
Further up the field, Elliot Anderson will surely keep his place in both the England squad and the starting XI for Wales at Wembley. Tuchel will want to see whether he can back up his two man-of-the-match performances in his first two senior internationals, and prove he is worthy of the number six shirt for the foreseeable future.
In attacking areas, the absence of Noni Madueke is a real blow to Tuchel. He was outstanding in the two World Cup qualifiers last month, and seemed to have proved himself worthy of a regular England spot, only for a knee injury to halt him in his tracks. The Arsenal winger is awaiting a second scan, with fears it could be a lengthy lay-off ahead of him.
Tim Sherwood catches up with his old protege Jack Grealish to talk about his move to Everton and with it, his recent upturn in form.
Does Madueke’s absence open the door once more for Jack Grealish? Absent from the international set up for 12 months now, his form for Everton has brought him back into the England discussion. Four assists in his first eight matches means he is first choice on the left wing for David Moyes – whether or not he his included in this England squad may tell us a lot about whether he is still in the mix for Tuchel’s World Cup plans next summer.
Whilst England are pitting themselves against Wales in a friendly at Wembley next Thursday, Serbia play Albania two days later in a World Cup qualifier in Group K.
Anything other than a Serbia victory in that match, and England will know that they are just one win away from confirming their place for next summer’s World Cup – and that qualification would be guaranteed, if England can win in Latvia in a fortnight’s time.
