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I watched England stroll into Belgrade and play with the kind of clarity fans have been begging for. Serbia were beaten 5–0, and while the scoreline tells one story, the selection pressure tells another. Marc Guehi looked like the adult in the room at centre-back. Noni Madueke and Morgan Rogers looked like real threats to the status of Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham once everyone is fit. This was not lab talk. It was a proper qualifying game, points on the line, and it moved the conversation about England’s starting XI in a useful way.
England were ruthless and varied. Harry Kane opened the door. Madueke flew through it with his first international goal. Ezri Konsa and Guehi added their own firsts, then Marcus Rashford closed the night from the spot. That is five wins from five under Thomas Tuchel in this campaign, top of Group K, and a performance that felt like the real thing after Saturday’s flat win over Andorra.
The match, on one page
| Minute | Event |
| 33′ | Kane heads in from a Declan Rice corner. |
| 35′ | Madueke makes it 2–0, running onto a deft Rogers flick, then finishing with calm. |
| 52′ | Konsa reacts quickest after a parry for 3–0. |
| 72′ | Nikola Milenkovic sent off for denying a clear chance. |
| 75′ | Guehi volleys in Rice’s free kick for his first England goal. |
| 90′ | Rashford converts a penalty for 5–0. |
Why this game matters for England’s depth chart
I tend to ask a simple question after nights like this. Who made the manager’s next selection meeting harder. Three names stood out.
| Shirt under pressure | Incumbent when fit | Challenger(s) who just made a case | What changed on Tuesday |
| Right wing / right-sided forward | Bukayo Saka | Noni Madueke | First England goal. Constant direct running. Movement praised on TV. End product to match the promise. |
| Advanced 8 / roaming 10 | Jude Bellingham | Morgan Rogers | Tuchel trusted him centrally. A gorgeous flick assist for 2–0. Most chances created in the match per Sky’s read. |
| Right-sided centre-back, leadership slot | John Stones if fit, Harry Maguire formerly | Marc Guehi | Goal, aerial presence, calm organisation. Tuchel singled him out for putting team first and setting the tone. |
Guehi looked like a leader, not just a scorer
Guehi has been trending toward this role for months. In Belgrade he owned the simple details, then added the headline moment. He attacked Rice’s free kick with conviction for England’s fourth and, more important, he organised the space behind an aggressive front six. Tuchel’s praise was pointed. He said Guehi put personal interests aside and became the best team-mate possible across the camp, then produced a fantastic performance. That is leadership you can feel on TV. It is also what a back line built on mobility and timing needs.
If you are keeping a running ledger of centre-back options for next summer, this matters. With John Stones managing fitness and Maguire out of favour, Guehi is behaving like the reference point rather than the deputy. The set-piece threat was a bonus, not the proof.
Madueke and Rogers did more than light it up. They raised the standard.
Madueke’s goal was clean and confident, the kind of finish that tells you the moment was not too loud. He caused problems from the first whistle and left with the sense that he can repeat this against better teams because the tools are transferable. Pace, timing, first touch in stride. The highlight, though, belonged to Rogers. His nonchalant flick to split Serbia and put Madueke through was the touch of the night. Sky’s player ratings later had Rogers as England’s top chance-creator on the pitch. That is not empty praise, it is a marker for selection conversations when Bellingham is back.
Roy Keane went a little lyrical on TV, calling Madueke a nightmare to face and comparing Rogers’ ball-carrying to a prime Paul Gascoigne. Strip away the flair of the comparison and you keep the substantive point. Rogers can carry the ball through pressure and produce something at the end. That profile is rare, and it changes what England can threaten between the lines.
After the match, both Madueke and Guehi talked about the calm in camp and the sense of a job done. It sounded like a group not surprised by the scoreline. It also underlined how significant first international goals are for belief. You can hear a gear change in how players discuss their roles once the first one lands.
Set pieces, control, and Tuchel’s tone
England did not just run Serbia ragged in transition. They showed structure. A corner for Kane. A free-kick routine for Guehi. A late penalty to ice it. That is three different ways to score when teams try to drag you into a scrap. Sky’s analysis framed it simply. With Rice on dead balls, England do not need gimmicks. They already carry a reliable threat. Tuchel sounded like a coach who had just watched his plan executed without drama. Teamwork in its purest form, high intensity in the right moments, no shots on target allowed. Managers do not often get nights that neat. He earned this one.
What the night did to the group picture
I keep the admin short. England are perfect through five qualifiers, seven points clear of second place, and closing in on a plane ticket for next summer. The Serbian red card and off-field fuss did not change the football truth of the evening. England controlled it, punished mistakes, and left with their clearest performance under Tuchel so far.
Key moments that shifted the mood
| Moment | Why it mattered |
| Kane’s opener | Gave England permission to play with patience rather than panic. Serbia’s plan to keep it tight evaporated. |
| Rogers’ flick for Madueke | Announced a new option at 10 while reminding everyone that craft still has a place in a direct team. |
| Konsa’s third | Killed the contest. Let England manage legs with smart substitutions. |
| Milenkovic sent off | Ended any faint Serbian comeback and freed England to enjoy themselves. |
| Guehi’s goal | Put a full stop on his “leader” audition. |
What I think this means when Saka and Bellingham return
I do not read this as a benching of two stars. I read it as a healthy problem. Saka is one of the most reliable wide forwards in world football. Bellingham is the best all-phase midfielder of his age group on the planet. Pressure helps players like that. It squashes complacency and sharpens edges.
Madueke’s case is about directness on the right and the ability to eliminate a defender off the dribble without sacrificing end product. Rogers’ case is about balance. He is neat enough to link play, brave enough to carry, and creative enough to find the cut-back or disguise a pass. If Tuchel wants to protect Bellingham’s minutes across a heavy season or pull Saka inside for certain games, Tuesday night gave him cover to do it.
Tuchel’s selection jigsaw, in plain view
| Role | What worked in Belgrade | Selection ripple |
| Build-up and set-piece delivery | Rice’s deliveries created two goals. Anderson kept things tidy at the base. | Set pieces will stay with Rice. Anderson has banked trust for the sixth-man midfield slot. |
| Right-sided attack | Madueke stretched Serbia early and often. | Saka will still start plenty. Madueke has turned every cameo into a real argument for minutes. ( |
| The 10 lane | Rogers did not hide. He linked, carried, and created. | When Bellingham is eased back, Rogers is now the first stylistic pivot rather than a late-bench piece. |
| Centre-back leadership | Guehi and Konsa looked assured and proactive. | Stones’ fitness determines the ceiling. For now Guehi wears the grown-up hat. |
What the players said
Madueke sounded relieved and hungry. First goal in the bag, team first, more to come. Guehi talked about the group’s standards and how the camp felt aligned. Both interviews had the calm tone you hear from players who believe they have a place, not from players trying to talk themselves into one. That is valuable heading into the next window. (
A small note on the context in Belgrade
The night was not quiet in the stands. There were disturbances, a burst of impersonated referee whistles, and a harsh sending off that will be argued by locals for a while. England did not get dragged into any of it. They walked out with a clean sheet and the feeling of a group settling into itself.
My read
I am not tempted to crown anything after one game. I am tempted to say the balance looked right. A centre-back who talks and acts like the main character. A winger who can hurt you without overcomplicating it. A creator who brings a little mischief to the middle of the pitch. If you are building an England that can solve more than one type of problem, those three profiles help.
Tuchel’s comments were telling. Teamwork, discipline, intensity, no shots on target faced. Nights like this can become habits if the details are protected. The pleasant surprise was how quickly Rogers and Madueke made the attack feel less predictable. The encouraging constant was Guehi’s authority. Keep those two truths together and England’s ceiling rises.