Thomas Tuchel is prepared to use long throws and high balls from the back in his pursuit of World Cup glory. The England manager, whose team face Serbia in Belgrade on Tuesday in their toughest assignment of qualification, talked last week of wanting to streamline and simplify his approach. Tuchel is coming to terms with the realities of international football and the limited amount of time he has with the players. He has worked to instil short-passing patterns but, as he reflected on how some old‑fashioned qualities were making a comeback, he declared being open to adding a more unreconstructed dimension.
England got both of their goals from lofted crosses on Saturday in the 2-0 victory against Andorra at Villa Park. The first cross was delivered from an inside-right position by Noni Madueke and led to an own goal from Christian Garcia. The second was from a much wider position on the same flank. It was sent over by Reece James and headed home by Declan Rice.
