As comprehensive as England’s 5-0 victory over Serbia was on Tuesday night, it has probably left Thomas Tuchel with more questions than answers – in the most positive sense.
The England boss got the performance he has been calling for since he took over the reins but now he has a real headache in knowing what his best XI is.
Consecutive player-of-the-match performances from Elliot Anderson in his first two senior England internationals is probably the biggest plus for Tuchel, because he (like his predecessor Gareth Southgate) has been searching for a natural, consummate No 6 for some time.
There was a real gap in the England armoury in that position. Now, not so much. It feels like it is Anderson’s position to lose, despite the fact he is still on his international honeymoon and the 2026 World Cup is still nine months away.
Trouble is, the other players who have impressed in this camp – and against Serbia in particular – are all adding to England’s already burgeoning excellence in many of the other overloaded positions. And we should not forget that a few of England’s best players were not available for this international break.
Right-wing – Madueke’s breakthrough but where does he fit?
Let’s look at right-wing first, and the breakthrough performances of Noni Madueke.
He scored his first international goal in Belgrade (and what a goal it was) and was England’s biggest threat in both World Cup qualifiers.
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Tuchel reacted to England’s dominant 5-0 win against Serbia and praised his players, saying the performance was exactly what was needed
But…when England get to the World Cup finals and their opening group game, is he really going to start ahead of Bukayo Saka, who has been one of England’s most impressive performers in the last three major tournaments?
Tuchel may well be helped out by Mikel Arteta in this regard, who has exactly the same conundrum to solve in the Premier League at Arsenal.
How and where do you accommodate Madueke, if you assume that Saka will start every big game, when fit?
Madueke has done enough in this international break for us to assume he will be included in the 26 for next summer’s tournament – but the brutal reality may be that, assuming everyone is fit, he may have to settle for a role as an impact substitute – or switch sides. Jarrod Bowen, Morgan Rogers and even Cole Palmer offer alternatives on the right flank.
Who is Tuchel’s No 10?
It’s time for a reality check: if he’s fit, Jude Bellingham is, and will always be, England’s first choice No 10.
He is a generational talent, and anyone else who has hopes playing that role, will play second fiddle.
That includes Palmer, who is an extraordinary footballer in his own right, and Phil Foden, who is out of form, but has been a key player for England for a long time now.
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Rob Dorsett delivers his verdict following England’s comprehensive 5-0 win against Serbia, and feels Tuchel can feel very positive after the impressive result
That’s tough for Eberechi Eze and Rogers, who have filled that role in this international break, with the other three missing.
Eze struggled to make an impact, in truth, in the congested central areas of Villa Park, and his move to Arsenal has denied him some much-needed Premier League game time too, so he is a bit rusty.
Rogers offered some special moments against Serbia – not least his sublime flick, which earned him an assist for Madueke’s goal. His versatility may help him, as too Eze, but the Arsenal forward’s best opportunity for his country may lie on the left-wing.
A congested left-wing
Tuchel’s options on the left are more difficult to call right now. It looks likely that both Madueke and Eze will be given the chance to impress here in the games to come between now and next summer.
But it’s clear that Tuchel has a lot of love for Marcus Rashford, who was included in this squad despite an indifferent start for Barcelona. By contrast, Trent Alexander-Arnold, who’s facing similar challenges since his move to LaLiga, was left out, and that’s a notable difference between the two players.
Tuchel phoned Rashford when he first got the England manager’s job and told him how important he is for England’s prospects. The German wants an excuse to pick and play Rashford, so if the Manchester United loanee is playing and performing for Barcelona, you suspect he will be first pick. Anthony Gordon did well in Belgrade and reinforced the perception that he is a good option when England need more defensive work-rate from their wingers.
Tuchel settled at No 9?
It went largely unnoticed that, after the stilted 2-0 win over Andorra, Tuchel was talking about his No 9 options and he completely ignored Liam Delap, Ivan Toney and Dominic Solanke – two of whom (Toney and Solanke) have been called up on his watch, but were left sitting on the bench throughout.
When asked about his striker options beyond Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins, it was striking that Tuchel mentioned Rashford, Gordon and even Foden (who was dropped for this camp) as options at No 9 – with no mention at all of Delap, Toney and Solanke.
That leads to the natural assumption that Tuchel will only take Kane and Watkins to the World Cup as out-and-out No 9s, and if he needs someone else up top, he will use a false nine rather than Delap, Solanke or Toney.
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England skipper Harry Kane says the team can use their 5-0 win over Serbia as a ‘template’ for their World Cup campaign
Who are Tuchel’s full-backs?
Suddenly, it looks to be a battle for Trent Alexander-Arnold to make the World Cup squad.
Tuchel has said Reece James is his first-choice right-back, and that’s fair on the evidence of his recent performances for club and country.
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Kane shares an emotional speech as he presents a first England cap to Djed Spence
He’s the best combination of attacking prowess (with his brilliant crossing) and defensive nous. Myles Lewis-Skelly seems to be Tuchel’s first choice at left-back (look at the fact he started against Andorra, despite not doing so for Arsenal yet this season, and was only left out of the Serbia game because the FA physios felt it was too much to load him with two full games in three days).
Tino Livramento now looks to have a really strong chance of being on the plane next summer, with his versatility to play on either flank a real plus. Then that would mean there is space for one more full-back in the squad of 26 – with Trent and Djed Spence in the mix, and maybe Kyle Walker, Ben White and Lewis Hall waiting in the wings.
What’s Tuchel’s best centre-back partnership?
Tuchel likes to split his central-defensive options between those players who prefer playing on the left and those who favour the right.
In this camp, it was Dan Burn and Marc Guehi for the former, Ezri Konsa and Jarell Quansah for the latter. Quansah, a late call-up, didn’t get a minute of football.
Tuchel is adamant he won’t give players minutes out of charity or a sense of obligation. He doesn’t do that. So Konsa, Guehi and Burn look to have strong claims for a spot in the World Cup squad – with John Stones as another shoo-in, if he can stay fit and have a run of games.
Tuchel said, when Stones withdrew from the squad ahead of the Andorra game: “I hope he keeps his spirit up because he will stay important for us.”
The former Chelsea boss summoned him to join the squad in Barcelona in June, even though the Manchester City man was injured.
“I saw… what he means to the group as a personality and as a social glue within the group. What he brings to the pitch is outstanding quality.”
But the facts of the matter are that injury has robbed Stones of the last three England camps. He has yet to play a single minute of football for the new manager, and so Tuchel has to think about plan Bs.
Trevoh Chalobah and possibly even Harry Maguire could yet come into the mix.
