09/09/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | SEPT 9, 2025

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England have to adapt: Tuchel Three Lions must be ready for everything, says manager ahead of Serbia clash T HOMAS TUCHEL says England need to be “ready for everything” and prepared to “overcome adversity” in tomorrow’s (2.45am Malaysian time) tough World atmosphere, to the physicality and it will be an emotional game, it will be a very important game in the group. We will be prepared for that.” individual quality up front with tall physical strikers.” Whether it be the hot atmosphere or an imperfect pitch, Tuchel repeatedly said that England have to be “ready for everything” in Serbia.

England struggled to break down Andorra at Villa Park in a far-from fluent performance. They took the lead in the first half through an own goal and had to wait until the 67th minute to make it 2-0 through Declan Rice’s header. Tuchel flagged the return of old-school meth ods when he named his squad last week. “I told you: the long throw-in is back,” Tuchel, who took over from Gareth Southgate last October, told reporters. “But we do not have a lot of time. “But once we arrive at the World Cup, all these things matter, so we will also talk about long throw-ins, we will talk about long kicks from the goalkeeper and not only playing short. “But we cannot put everything into four days of training. But these things will matter.” – The Independent/Reuters

Tuchel says he had not “spoken one word about Serbia” with the team ahead of facing Andorra, but attention immediately turned to the key Group K clash after the Villa Park victory. “We will get the headlines ready,” the England boss said of his messaging to the players. “It will be an emotional crowd, I guess. “We have to adapt to the adversity, overcome adversity and then let’s see what the pitch is like, let’s see how the game plays out because you never know. “You can have red cards, yellow cards, what ever, so we need to be ready for everything. “I think we will face the same formation (as against Andorra), a defensive block of 5-4-1,

Onana agrees loan move MANCHESTER UNITED goalkeeper Andre Onana has agreed to join Trabzonspor on a sea son-long loan, the PA news agency under stands. The 29-year-old joined the Red Devils from Inter Milan in 2023 for an initial €51 million (RM255m), plus a potential €4 million (RM20m) in add-ons. But a string of errors quickly led pressure to mount on Onana, who ended his first season with an FA Cup winners’ medal, only for more issues to follow under Ruben Amorim last term. A hamstring injury prevented him from making a pre-season appearance and he made MICHAEL O’NEILL rued mistakes in Northern Ireland’s defence after they fell to a 3-1 World Cup qualifying loss to Germany despite impressing for long peri ods in Cologne. A superb strike from Isaac Price can celled out Serge Gnabry’s early goal for Germany and Northern Ireland finished the first half as the stronger side with the hosts’ nerves showing after a run of three consecutive defeats. But a defensive mix-up allowed Germany substitute Nadiem Amiri to put them back in front in the 69th minute before Florian Wirtz’s free-kick – three min utes later – put it to bed. Both of Germany’s first two goals were preventable from Northern Ireland’s per spective. Eoin Toal lost possession for the opener, allowing Nick Woltemade to find the run of Gnabry, while the second came when no one dealt with David Raum’s long ball forward, following the run of Maximilian Beier and allowing Amiri to fin ish easily. It said plenty about the progress of Michael O’Neill’s team that they left the RheinEnergieStadion disappointed, but it was an emotion the manager struggled to shake, despite the positives on show. “When we look back at the goals tonight we’ll be disappointed,” he said. “I thought the first goal, we need to deal with that ball better in the middle of the pitch. “It drops quickly and with one pass, Gnabry’s going for a one-vs-one with the goalkeeper. “The second goal is a little bit fortui tous, it’s just a ball played into the box and SHORTS Cup qualifier away to Serbia. The back-to-back European Championship runners-up are among the favourites to win next summer’s tournament and extended their win ning start to qualification to a fourth match by beating Andorra 2-0 on Sunday. England are now preparing for their hardest Group K assignment against Serbia – 32nd in Fifa’s world rankings – tomorrow, when Tuchel is expecting to face a tough side and hostile Belgrade crowd. “It will be a good test and we’re looking for ward to it,” the England boss said. “We feel that we are ready to step up to the

“We will prepare for the best version of our opponent and then we need to adapt to what is coming,” Tuchel said. “Maybe we get an early goal, maybe we get an early two goals and in the end it’s a comfortable win. “Or maybe we concede from a set piece or a deflected shot. Anything can happen and you need to be ready for everything.” Tuchel outlined plans to incorporate more long throw-ins and long balls into his side’s approach ahead of next year’s World Cup.

“There’s a lot of things for us to be posi tive about but it’s hard to see that at this moment because I think the overwhelm ing emotion is disappointment because we had the opportunity to maybe take more than we did.” – The Independent O’Neill rues mistakes after Germany defeat Ű BY IAN PARKER

My time to shine is now:Eze

Ű BY JONATHAN VEAL

moment and then that it’s – gone. “For me, now, I’m just excited to play, excited to do my thing on the pitch, to work hard, apply myself and get to doing what I do. “There’s been a lot of noise off the pitch but I just want to get down and play. “It is special and it’s not every one that gets to experience these types of moments. “I try to enjoy it and take it in my stride as much as possible because there’s always something that is coming. “There is always another oppor tunity and challenge coming so that’s how I see (it).” His next opportunity on the big stage may come against Serbia in a crunch World Cup qualifier in Belgrade tomorrow. It will be by far England’s big gest hurdle in their quest to reach North America next summer and will be a far cry from the sterile atmosphere they played in against Andorra. Eze added: “I’ve never been there. I’m sure it will be a good game, sure it will be a cool game. “A lot of energy will be needed to win that game for sure, so we’re looking forward to it. “I feel like it will be a different challenge from the Andorra game because they’ve got a different skill set. “They’ve got players who probably want to play a bit more and (are) maybe a bit more aggres sive so I don’t know if it will suit us, but I’m sure it will be a good match up.” – the Independent

again we should defend that better. “The bounce of the ball catches out the two centrebacks and the goalkeeper and it’s an easy finish.” Wirtz then sealed it with a superb free kick after Ali McCann was deemed to have fouled Amiri, a decision O’Neill took issue with. “The third goal is an amazing goal, an unbelievable freekick,” he said of Wirtz’s “knuckleball” finish. “But it’s not a freekick at all. I thought in the second-half the referee was fussy and the award of that freekick was disappoint ing because at 2-1, we can get into the final phase of the game. “The Germans will be trying to get through the game and we can try some passing situations. So it is disappointing because I didn’t think it was a freekick at all.” A m i d his frustra

ENGLAND midfielder Eberechi Eze knows his time is now following his summer transfer to Arsenal. Eze secured an emotional return to the Gunners, where he was released as a 13-year-old, after they snuck in to steal him from the grasp of north London rivals Tottenham, thanks to a last-ditch phone call from Mikel Arteta. T h e 27-year o l d enjoyed a fanfare unveil ing at the

Emirates Stadium as he was inter viewed by Ian Wright, took a phone call from Thierry Henry and was paraded on the pitch ahead of the 5-0 win over Leeds. Eze, who started for England in Sunday’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Andorra, said: “There’s a lot going on. It’s fun for me. This is why I play football. “These are oppor tunities that you want. This is it for me, so I am enjoying it as much as I can. “I was trying to enjoy it because you have that

tion there were plenty of positives to take from

this per formance as O’Neill looks to the rest of the campaign, not least

Germany’s visit to Belfast next month. “I thought we showed a lot tonight,” he said. “We had to against a very strong team.

Michael O’Neill. – AFPPIC

Eberechi Eze. – AFPPIC

Manchester City after the international break. Kane stance ahead of World Cup THOMAS TUCHEL has no doubts about Harry Kane and is waiting to see who “catches fire” as the England boss considers his attacking options for the World Cup. The 32-year-old moved level on 108 caps with Bobby Moore in Sunday’s 2-0 qualification win against Andorra. Ineffective Kane only had two shots and 12 touches against the microstate at Villa Park, but Tuchel had no concerns about the Bayern Munich sharpshooter. “I think like always in the beginning of the season, for every player, you just try to find your

an awful error in his first game of the season as the Red Devils made a humiliating Carabao Cup exit at Grimsby. It looks set to be his only United appearance of the campaign as PA understands a loan move to Trabzonspor has been agreed. The Turkish transfer window remains open and former Fenerbahce shot-stopper Altay Bayindir, last year’s back-up to Onana, had pre viously been linked with a return to his home land. The Turkey international has started all three Premier League games this term and United made the deadline-day signing of Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens for €21 million (RM105m) plus add-ons. Amorim’s United return to action away to

rhythm and it’s getting there,” the England manager said. “He scored already four or five goals for Bayern, so he’s there. There’s no doubts about him.” Asked if England had enough No. 9 options, Tuchel said: “Yes, we have a lot of options. “We have Ollie (Watkins), we have Harry, Marcus (Rashford) can play there, Jarrod (Bowen) can play there, Anthony (Gordon) played there for Newcastle. I think so. “Phil (Foden) can play in the nine, Morgan (Rogers) can play in the nine. “Let’s see who catches form and catches fire in the Premier League, or wherever and starts scoring. But yes we have enough firepower there.”