England news: Winners and losers from Three Lions’ final World Cup qualifiers against Serbia, Albania
England wrapped up a perfect World Cup qualifying campaign by defeating Serbia and Albania to nil in their last two matches.
This means they won every match while keeping a clean sheet in each and scoring 22 goals.
With next year’s World Cup looming on the horizon, Sports News Blitz writer Eloise Stevens breaks down the biggest winners and losers from England’s international break.
Winner – Harry Kane
Any other player would have seemed destined for substitution in the match against Albania, having produced no shots on target and having created few chances for his team-mates.
But no one had more faith in Harry Kane than the England manager whose decision to keep him on the pitch was rewarded when the striker struck twice in the second half to secure the victory.
The performance saw Kane lift his tally to nine goals in nine matches under Tuchel having scored in six out of the eight qualifiers.
Many had questioned his role as captain after a disappointing run in the 2024 Euro qualifiers, but when it comes to delivering in European and World Cup qualifying no one can compete with Kane, who has scored 40 goals since 2019.
Loser – Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham’s performances in both matches were somewhat overshadowed by his frustrated reaction to being subbed off in the 84th minute against Albania.
He had put on an impressive display across the two games, starting the play that resulted in Eberechi Eze’s goal against Serbia, but had received a yellow card before coming off after Tuchel had mentioned before the game that he wanted his team to avoid unnecessary bookings.
The outburst risks being seen as a setback for the midfielder who was already under pressure as he competes with Morgan Rogers for a spot in the lineup.
Winner – Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford continued the impressive run of form he has found at Barcelona while on loan from Manchester United.
His assist for Kane’s goal against Albania was his 15th goal contribution – eight goals and seven assists – for club and country since the season began, and his seventh in as many matches.
His recent performances have made him into one of the squad’s most reliable attacking players and that was certainly evident in the last two games.
Loser – Eberechi Eze
Eberechi Eze earned his spot in the starting lineup against Albania after his late strike off the bench against Serbia.
However, his performance against Albania underlined how he seems to be more effective as a substitute than a starter.
He has now gone three consecutive starts for England without a goal or assist, in contrast to scoring in each of his last three appearances for his country as a substitute.
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Winner – Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel may have only been in the job for 11 months but his impact has been significant.
He is the first England manager to oversee a flawless World Cup qualifying campaign with his team being the first side from any nation to play at least six games and win them all without conceding a goal.
The German made seven changes to the team that had beaten Serbia yet still turned to key players from the bench to secure the win, proving his desire to win every game.
England and Tuchel will have to wait until the tournament starts to see how they fare against stronger opposition, but doubters will be quick to point out Fabio Capello’s record run in qualifying for the 2010 tournament only to disappoint when it mattered most.
Loser – Morgan Rogers
Morgan Rogers put on an outstanding display in the October games against Wales and Latvia, capitalising on Jude Bellingham’s absence.
With Bellingham back in the squad, the pressure was on Rogers and he wasn’t quite able to deliver.
He failed to make an impression when starting at Wembley, being replaced by the Real Madrid star in the 65th minute, and didn’t make the starting lineup against Albania, only coming on for the last six minutes.
It seems that he has now fallen back down the pecking order after failing to build on his previous momentum.
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