Perhaps Thomas Tuchel is right: three on two is not good. England the boss publicly stated that Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham And Phil Foden could not all play effectively in one lineup, and on Thursday 2-0 win Serbia offered some justification for this view.
The last 25 minutes of this game were by far the most interesting. Tuchel appears to be sticking with a 4-2-3-1 formation at the moment, so the formation remains unchanged. But when he made four changes with England leading 1-0 Bukayo SakaAfter the first-half volley, England fans saw something different.
Kane was recalled along with Morgan Rogerswho was chosen to start at number 10. In their place came Foden as a false nine, with Bellingham following behind him. Stay healthy replaced Marcus Rashford on the left flank as a midfielder Jordan Henderson was presented for Declan Riceallowing Elliot Anderson to move forward and influence the game more in the final third.
– World Cup 2026: who qualified and how others can do it
– The team with the worst FIFA rating can still qualify for the World Cup, but only if they lose
The end result was the best football of the night in England. With three minutes left, Bellingham passed the ball to Foden, whose lovely flick found Eza. Arsenal The striker's shot bounced off the crossbar, but three minutes later the three were not denied. Bellingham moved forward and found Foden, who in turn played a great pass in front of Eze. This time his first shot went perfectly into the top corner.
Serbia were tired and chasing a goal that could keep their qualification hopes alive. However, the combination was a fascinating glimpse into a different dynamic.
Interestingly, Tuchel decided to name-check two players not in the squad, including a Brighton player. Danny Welbeck34 years old, last played in a match in September 2018. When Foden was appointed, he could have been Kane's 'Plan B'. “It's an absolute possibility if Phil stays in this form and in this form I have no problem,” he said. “I have a few more options that I don’t want to discuss publicly. Don't forget that we have [Aston Villa‘s] Ollie Watkinswe have Welbeck, maybe more nines. And very different from Harry.
“So I think we will have options and it will probably come down to who is fit, what do we already have in the squad and how do we want to split the minutes, what kind of opponent are we playing, what do we expect from the match? But today was very good.”
Tuchel's pre-match announcement that Foden should not be shoehorned into the team as a striker (as his predecessor Gareth Southgate did at Euro 2024) has inevitably increased scrutiny on the combination he will choose.
For his part, Foden admitted back in January that “the position I've been put in on the left is very difficult to influence the game” during the tournament. His use as a false nine for England is a potentially groundbreaking development that Southgate has never pursued. But at club level Foden played there for Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola before and sometimes after the striker Erling Haalandarrival.
Tuchel, who managed Chelsea I haven’t forgotten in the 18 months of 2021 and 2022. “The idea came to me a few months ago because I was playing against Phil in those positions. Premier League A few years ago it was very, very difficult with his small movements, counter-movements, small movements,” Tuchel explained. City dominated. He had positions in the pockets, half turns. He took the shot, played a one-two, then got off the ball a little and gave the assist. You couldn't catch him.
“When we made a long list of 50-60 players, he certainly had outstanding qualities and I was hoping to nominate him for the first camp and he had a difficult spell at City. Then he came back… I wanted him close to the opposition box, in the middle of traffic, surrounded by a lot of players. I think he did superbly. In matches where we need to unlock deep opponents, he can always be the choice.”
Kane's status on this team is second to none. Being the country's record holder for most goals, being in peak form at Bayern Munich and England's leading player by standards off the pitch, there is no doubt he will start next summer's World Cup, barring injury. The role of Kane's understudy was not assigned to anyone for a long time. Rashford and Watkins have been used in this capacity, although to be fair it is somewhat of a bleak task given the quality and longevity of Kane. The chances are limited.
But if England are to succeed in the US, Canada and Mexico next summer, they may need a deep squad. With Rodgers and Kane currently the leading candidates, and Bellingham and Foden complementing them, there is an intriguing range of options. And this is before Cole Palmer returns to Chelsea.
On the edge of goal, Rashford threatened but was beaten in the final third. Eze was a more serious threat. On the opposite flank, Saka produced an outstanding moment of quality before England's late draw. Overall result: 12 different England players created chances against Serbia, the highest total in a single match since records began in 2013. Now the England team is heading to Albania with a perfect seven qualifying wins, 20 goals and none conceded.
Tuchel's management of this team continues to be based on merit rather than reputation. The easiest move would have been to bring Bellingham back into the starting line-up following the controversy surrounding his absence from the squad last month, but Rodgers has excelled so far in this qualifying campaign.
“Morgan deserved to stay on the pitch because he had three fantastic performances and secondly we didn't know what would happen next if our plan with the high press was correct,” Tuchel added.
“It wouldn’t be fair for Jude to try to figure it all out because we’ve changed the way we press in the last two camps. Declan [Rice]Morgan [Rogers] and Harry [Kane] I’ve already done this in three or four matches together. I thought they could adapt a little faster. Once we see the formation, we can give clear instructions to Phil and Jude and bring them off the bench.”
Time will tell, but that versatility could serve England well.
