Thomas Tuchel hails ‘teamwork in its purest form’ as England hammer Serbia

Thomas Tuchel says England’s stunning 5-0 win in Serbia was “teamwork in its purest form” as his side took a giant step towards World Cup qualification and finally showed what they are capable of.

The road to next summer’s tournament in North America began with four victories but few moments of excitement, with scrutiny increasing after Saturday’s forgettable 2-0 win against Andorra.

Tuchel left Birmingham wanting England to “prove a point” in Belgrade and his players did that in style, with Harry Kane and Noni Madueke giving them a deserved half-time lead against Serbia.

Ezri Konsa added another shortly after the break and Marc Guehi scored after Nikola Milenkovic’s sending-off, with substitute Marcus Rashford’s spot-kick wrapping up a statement win.

“We were very strong,” Tuchel said. “I think it was teamwork in its purest form. We helped each other out, we had the right intensity in the right moments.

“We put the work in to not allow one shot on target for a strong home team. If you want to do this, you need to support each other, you need to play disciplined and keep the intensity up.

“This is what we did and the players did excellent, so full credit to the team.

“I told you before, we had a brilliant week from start to finish and this was proof of it.”

England’s superb triumph against Serbia puts the Group K leaders seven points clear of second-placed Albania with three qualifiers to play.

“There’s never a perfect performance, but for today it was a very, very good performance,” Tuchel said.

“I’m just glad for the players that they could show to the fans, who were excellent by the way, and to you guys and our fans at home what they’re capable of and how this team worked together and was together in this camp.

“That’s what I’m most happy for and it was a very good performance with a perfect result.”

A Wembley friendly against Wales and World Cup qualifier away to Latvia await when England return to action in October buoyed by their brilliant night in Belgrade.

“That’s exactly what we needed,” Tuchel added. “I said yesterday I have a feeling that this game and this occasion will bring out the best in us. I feel that I had a point.

“I told the players, I did not only tell you, that we have a brilliant camp and I love what I see and I feel what I feel during camp on a daily basis.

“Then we had a bit of a stop-start game against Andorra and the result was maybe not the result that everyone expected from us. I kept the belief but at some point you need to prove it also as a player that it’s not just only words from your coach.

“They kept on doing and I think they kept on believing and they felt themselves that this is the spirit that we need in camp and that will give us the extra level of quality.

“Just today I think we saw a hard-working team, we saw a team that worked together non-stop. They never stopped working, they never stopped pressing, they never stopped defending, they never stopped helping each other out. That’s how it should be.”