<figure id="attachment_3018641" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3018641" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3018641 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/57a78901-england-thomas-tuchel-240325.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3018641" class="wp-caption-text">England manager Thomas Tuchel has acknowledged that the Euro 2024 runners-up must step up against Serbia. (AP pic)</figcaption></figure>
BELGRADE: England manager Thomas Tuchel has called on his team to deliver a statement performance as they prepare to face a physical and direct Serbian side in Tuesday&#8217;s World Cup qualifier in Belgrade, following an unimpressive 2-0 win over Andorra.
England struggled against the tiny principality ranked 170 places below them at Villa Park yesterday, with Declan Rice&#8217;s header making the scoreline more respectable after an own goal by Christian Garcia Gonzalez.
Tuchel acknowledged that the Euro 2024 runners-up must step up against Serbia.
&#8220;We will try to prove a point &#8211; to win and put out the next performance, and to be tough in the circumstances,&#8221; Tuchel told reporters yesterday.
&#8220;We expect a very emotional stadium, we expect an emotional crowd. We expect maybe, yeah, to adapt to the circumstances. We don&#8217;t know what the pitch looks like. Make no excuses.
&#8220;Then we come up against a very physical team. They will attack us in a man-man situation. This is what we see until now.
&#8220;They have high quality up front &#8211; international top quality up front &#8211; so they play very direct and we have to step up to this and adapt to the circumstances, adapt to the opponent and then prove the point that we&#8217;re a strong group, and we&#8217;re on the right way,&#8221; he added.
Despite the unconvincing performance against Andorra, England remain in command of Group K of the World Cup qualifiers with 12 points from four matches as they chase qualification for next year&#8217;s finals.
Serbia are second with seven points from three matches.

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