✨ Discover this insightful post from BBC Sport 📖
📂 Category:
💡 Main takeaway:
No argument over the Rogers-Billingham conundrum was settled on this night, other than the assertion that childhood friends from the Midlands were giving Tuchel the most interesting selection problem.
The bet will still be on Bellingham starting in the World Cup, but Rogers has made his mark. Bellingham is likely to start the match against Albania in Tirana, so it is now over for him.
Manchester City’s Foden is an outside player who is making his way into that discussion, but there is no doubt that he made a big impression on Tuchel with a lively 25-minute cameo, where he weaved his way through dangerous central areas, where the head coach wants him, creating several moments of danger as well as setting up Eze’s goal.
It is understood that Kane is a fixture as England’s centre-forward, but Foden was clearly on Tuchel’s mind as he said: “He was excellent. You can see he is full of confidence. He showed that.”
“I like him to be in midfield in close contact with the other players. He did a good job. It’s a big task to challenge Harry at the moment. He’s at his best. But to be a partner and share some minutes, that’s an option.”
“You can see that he is full of confidence. You can see that in the first minutes when you meet him. You feel that he is light and he is smiling. His movements are fun to watch, and you can see that he is competitive.”
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who has yet to concede a goal in World Cup qualifiers and kept a clean sheet for a record tenth match in a row, reiterated the benefits of Tuchel’s team’s strength.
He said: “It gives us variety, and everyone knows how good Harry is at getting down low to get the ball and start spraying balls in. Phil Foden comes on and almost scores two goals. It’s great to have those options going forward.”
“We have depth as an England team. You have to play well and Judd is playing well for his club. It’s his first camp since the summer. He came on tonight and had a massive impact.
“You’ve got to give that credit to Morgan, he’s come in the last few games and stepped up. The manager has put faith in him despite having someone like Jude and Phil on the bench. We’ve got plenty of options. It’s about us being a cohesive England team going forward.”
Foden’s Manchester City team-mate Nico O’Reilly made an impressive first-team debut at left-back, a position that remains available, while Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa’s stature grows with each game, a real contender for a place at centre-back with John Stones and Mark Guehi.
Rashford faces competition on the left side, especially from Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon, who is absent here due to a thigh injury, as well as Arsenal’s Noni Madueke when he regains his fitness again, but his renaissance in Barcelona has put him back in the frame.
He had his moments at Wembley, especially with some impressive footwork, but both he and Tuchel would have liked a better final product. He still has work to do to keep his rivals at bay.
England’s World Cup Test spectacle now moves to Tirana against Albania on Sunday – with everything still to be played for in the battle for places.
💬 Tell us your thoughts in comments!
#️⃣ #Bukayo #Saka #Arsenal #man #mainstay #Thomas #Tuchels #show #strength #England
