Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers are competing for the No 10 role in Thomas Tuchel’s first-choice XI. With fears about an over-reliance on the goalscoring captain, Tuchel needs more from his other attackers.
If Thomas Tuchel requires proof there are worse things to be than the Harry Kane team, he need only hear how underwhelming the future looked when an England second string bid farewell to the 2014 World Cup with a desperate 0-0 draw against Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte. Those were dark times. England’s race was run after defeats in their first two group games in Brazil and the worry for the Football Association was that the humiliations no longer felt like a surprise.
Roy Hodgson talked about a team “in a realm of despair” and somehow limped on to the nadir of losing to Iceland at Euro 2016. Yet those disappointments belong to a different age. Gareth Southgate led the rebirth, restoring a bruised young squad’s pride and unity before stepping down after one last near miss at Euro 2024, and nobody could accuse Tuchel of being delusional when he took over and talked about putting a second star on the shirt.
While England are optimistic about their chances at the 2026 World Cup, there are concerns over their increasing reliance on Kane for goals. Tuchel, for his part, was not too worried after the captain’s clever header made the difference in last Saturday’s warm-up victory over New Zealand in Tampa. Kane is in scorching form. The striker scored 61 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich this season and will be a leading contender to win the Ballon d’Or if he helps England’s men claim silverware for the first time since 1966.
The numbers are relentless. But those nagging thoughts persist. What happens to England if Kane is marked out of a game? Or the unthinkable occurs and he rolls an ankle on a sticky American pitch? Tuchel’s two backup No 9s have quality but are not elite. Ollie Watkins finished the season in excellent form for Aston Villa and can stretch tiring defences, but he scuffed his one opening against New Zealand. Ivan Toney was also wasteful against the All Whites and has been selected mainly for his ability to draw attention away from Kane if England are chasing a late goal.
This is not so much about Watkins and Toney, then, more about the wide players and No 10s. Tuchel needs more from the attackers who will start around Kane and he could do with at least one wearing their shooting boots when England head to Orlando to face Costa Rica in their final warmup game on Wednesday night. Marcus Rashford, with 18 goals in 71 appearances, is the squad’s second-highest scorer but was tentative with chances against New Zealand. More conviction is required. Bukayo Saka, whose record of 14 goals in 48 appearances gives him a better strike rate than Rashford, has few equals on the flanks. Anthony Gordon has two goals for England and Noni Madueke one. As for the creators, Jude Bellingham has six goals, Eberechi Eze three and Morgan Rogers one.
“The pure numbers of our players on the wing and wherever are not the outstanding numbers we expect,” Tuchel said in March. The German wanted more from his creative players at club level. If he looks at England’s rivals, he will note Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé standing to one side as Michael Olise scored a hat-trick in France’s win over Northern Ireland on Monday. He will see that Spain had Pedri surging from midfield to score in a 3-1 win over Peru. Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, Germany and Belgium have also shared the goals around.
England need more variety in attack; individuals other than Kane deciding games. Rashford, who is competing with Gordon for a spot on the left, had a good season for Barcelona but has not scored in open play for England for almost three years. Somehow, despite all the talent at their disposal, England have never really found a replacement for Raheem Sterling, who was an excellent foil for Kane and so adept at running in from the wing to convert crosses from close range during his peak years. Saka has one goal since the Euros. Bellingham has not scored for Tuchel. The Costa Rica game is a chance for Kane’s teammates to build confidence. For all the talk about England’s threat at set pieces, it is significant that officials will be closely watching grappling and blocking in the box. Replicating Premier League tactics at corners may not be easy; if so, England will need to show more invention in open play.
That begins with finding flow in possession against Costa Rica. England should have a lot of the ball against opponents who failed to qualify for the World Cup. Tuchel played different XIs in each half against New Zealand – the aim was to build fitness in the Florida heat – but the lineup in Orlando should be closer to the one that takes on Croatia in England’s opening game in Group L next Wednesday. Some players will play for 60 or 70 minutes against Costa Rica. The big selection call is whether Bellingham did enough to dislodge Rogers at No 10 after an impressive second half against New Zealand. Tuchel has favoured Rogers so far. He likes the 23-year-old’s counterpressing and connectivity. It is a concern that Bellingham and Kane’s partnership is yet to take off under Tuchel. They have played together four times since his appointment. Overall they have combined for one goal in 38 games in England colours.
Are Bellingham and Kane on the same wavelength? It is a hurdle for Tuchel to overcome. The idea of Bellingham not starting against Croatia feels fanciful. Costa Rica provides an opportunity to see whether the balance is right with Kane and Bellingham in attack. Tuchel knows he needs attackers who can make the difference. The statistics show England have leant more heavily on Kane’s goals since Southgate’s departure. There will come a point when someone else has to step up and for all the noise around Tuchel’s plans nobody look better placed to rise to the challenge than Bellingham.
