Bukayo Saka: Arsenal man is Thomas Tuchel’s mainstay in England show of strength
No discussion has settled on the Rogers-Bellingham conundrum tonight other than confirming that childhood friends from the Midlands have given Tuchel the most pleasant of election headaches.
The betting was still on Bellingham to start the World Cup, but Rogers made his mark. With Bellingham likely to face Albania in Tirana, it’s up to him.
Manchester City’s Foden is an outsider who will be forced into this discussion but there is no doubt he made a huge impression on Tuchel with a lively 25-minute cameo; He made his way through dangerous central areas where the head coach wanted him, creating several moments of danger as well as setting up Eze’s goal.
Kane is, understandably, an unshakable object as England’s pioneer, but Foden is clearly in Tuchel’s mind: “He was excellent. You can see he’s full of confidence. He showed that.”
“I like to have him in the middle of the pitch, in close contact with the other players. He’s done well. It’s a big ask to challenge Harry at the moment. He’s in the form of his life. But to be complicit and share a few minutes, then he’s an option.
“You can see that he is full of confidence. You can see it in the first minutes you meet him. You feel that he is light and smiling. His movements are enjoyable to watch, you can see that he is competitive.”
English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who has yet to concede a goal in the World Cup qualifiers and broke the record of not conceding a goal for the 10th time in a row, also echoed the benefits of Tuchel’s squad strength.
He said: “It gives us variety and everyone knows how great Harry is at coming down low, picking up the ball and starting to spray it. Phil Foden comes in and almost scores two goals. It’s great to have those options going forward.”
“As an England team we have depth. You have to play well and Jude is playing well for his club. This is his first camp since the summer. He came in tonight and made a big impact.
“You’ve got to give that credit to Morgan, he’s come on and stepped up in the last few games. The manager has confidence in him, even though he’s got someone like Jude and Phil on the bench. We’ve got a lot of options. It’s about the England team moving forward together.”
Foden’s Manchester City team-mate Nico O’Reilly made a successful debut at left-back and the position remains up for grabs. Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa is improving his reputation with every game and is a real contender for a place in central defense alongside John Stones and Marc Guehi.
Rashford faces competition on the left wing, particularly Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon, who is out with a hip injury, and although Arsenal’s Noni Madueke is fit again, his renaissance at Barcelona has seen him brought back into the squad.
He had his moments at Wembley, particularly with his superb footwork, but both he and Tuchel would have liked a better end product. He still has work to do to keep his rivals at bay.
The scene of England’s World Cup qualification now shifts to Tirana playing against Albania on Sunday; There is still everything to play for in the fight for places.
