Bellingham’s query is addressed as Foden solves England’s Kane issue and Rashford misses an opportunity
Will Jude Bellingham make his World Cup debut for England? He will, of course. However, Marcus Rashford might not be included in Thomas Tuchel’s starting lineup.
In England’s penultimate World Cup qualifying match against Serbia on Thursday night, a reversal was highlighted by the most obvious example of a tactical injury you are likely to witness.
Although his players did not give the home audience much to cheer about, Thomas Tuchel has not been hesitant to criticise England’s supporters for not supporting his team enough. The atmosphere at Wembley was dull for the opening 20 minutes.
With their recent performances, Tuchel’s England have spoilt the fans mood. But the first half against Serbia reminded fans of Gareth Southgate’s leadership, when their performances in unremarkable games frequently lacked passion and intensity.
Before Pickford was told to go down “injured” to force a stoppage in play, there were more paper planes flying than noteworthy moments for England.
Tuchel clearly demanded more of his players during this time. Luckily, he received the response he was seeking.
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Rashford had a shot on goal almost immediately after the restart, and Bukayo Saka broke the deadlock a few minutes later, giving England one of their greatest plays of the game.
Like the rest of us, Tuchel was probably left wanting more from the in-form Barcelona loanee, who did not fully capitalise on his opportunity playing front of Anthony Gordon, as Rashford’s attempts flew straight at the custodian.
However, Kane further demonstrated why Tuchel and all England fans will be hoping he doesn’t sustain an injury prior to the World Cup.
He is far superior to England’s other natural attackers in that he manages to be both an exceptional goal scorer and a selfless team player.
He is still one of the England players who, if healthy, can be counted on the squad for the World Cup next summer.
Saka and the dependable Jordan Pickford are also part of this, and Elliot Anderson and his new center-midfield partner Declan Rice appear certain after their seventh straight start together.
Bellingham was once a member of this elite circle, but is he no longer? He is, of course.
Hewas clearly brought back into the fold after gaining match fitness and momentum at Real Madrid before continuing where he left off for England, but Tuchel used him to convey a message to his team last month. It seems as though last month’s commotion was unnecessary.
In addition to experimenting with Phil Foden in a “nine and a half” role—a colloquial term for a false nine, Tuchel also started Bellingham on the bench against Serbia, but he was added in the last twenty-five minutes as part of a quadruple substitution.
During this period, Eberechi Eze was added as another aggressive player. These three players had a significant impact in the last moments, which finally resulted in England’s incredible second goal in the closing minutes.
After gaining possession, Bellingham initiated the move with a pass from deep to Foden. The Man City player then advanced and sent off a perfectly-weighted pass to Eze, who scored a stunning first-time goal into the top corner.
Danny Welbeck is “very close” to a call-up, according to Tuchel prior to the match, but his use of Foden and Bellingham’s potential placement in the same role gives England another striker option and lessens the need to utilise a lesser striker to fill the roster.
Although England’s performance was far from flawless, Tuchel had yet another excellent night as he gained a better understanding of his team.
This was particularly true in attack, as Kane kept up his excellent play, Bellingham re-established himself, Foden offered a plausible answer to the issue up front, and there is incredible quality off the bench to change the course of the game.
