Tuchel Confirms England Will Not Experiment Against Serbia In Upcoming World Cup Qualifier

England's manager, Thomas Tuchel, has confirmed that the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Serbia will not be used to test new players. England has already secured a spot in the 2026 World Cup, having dominated Group K with six wins and no goals conceded. Their latest triumph was a decisive victory over Latvia, where Harry Kane scored twice.The Three Lions have been on an impressive run, winning their last nine competitive matches. They aim for a tenth consecutive win, a feat they last achieved during the European Championship qualifiers between 2014 and 2015. England's squad sees Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden returning, while Alex Scott from Bournemouth earns his first senior call-up.Tuchel emphasised the importance of maintaining consistency in their approach. "Do you feel I was experimenting in the last matches?" he asked reporters. "We want to build and keep on going. " He stressed that these are crucial World Cup qualifiers and must be taken seriously.

Next up at @wembleystadium! #ThreeLions | @EASPORTSFC

pic.twitter.com/YZlIF0ZBUK — England (@England) November 11, 2025

Morgan Gibbs-White, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Ollie Watkins were omitted from the squad this time. Anthony Gordon and Nick Pope also withdrew, with Trevoh Chalobah and James Trafford stepping in. Despite these changes, Tuchel's leadership has clearly improved England's performance since he took over in January.Under Tuchel's guidance, England leads UEFA World Cup qualifying statistics in several areas: successful passes (4,061), average possession (75.8%), passes per sequence (6.4), average sequence time (17.8 seconds), and open play sequences with 10 or more passes (172). They have also maintained eight consecutive clean sheets in competitive internationals.

Serbia's Challenge at Wembley

Despite England's strong showing against Serbia earlier this year, Tuchel warns against underestimating them. Serbia has never won an away match in England but remains a formidable opponent. Dragan Stojkovic's team is third in Group K and needs a win to keep their World Cup hopes alive.Tuchel acknowledged Serbia's potential threat: "I think we will face a very patriotic Serbian team with a very patriotic new coach. " He noted that Serbia would treat this match as a final and expects them to bring their best game to Wembley.Serbia has lost only three of their last 27 World Cup qualifying matches (W17 D7). A defeat against England combined with an Albanian victory over Andorra would end Serbia's chances of qualifying for the tournament for the first time since Brazil 2014.Tuchel highlighted the need for high-intensity play from the start: "If they do what we expect them to do defensively, it could be difficult to accelerate the game. " He emphasised implementing high-pressing tactics to energise both players and fans at Wembley Stadium.As England prepares for this crucial match against Serbia at Wembley Stadium, they aim to continue their impressive form under Tuchel’s leadership while acknowledging the challenge posed by their opponents.