Thomas Tuchel called England’s 2-0 win over Serbia “intense” and “tight”, and while Wembley lacked away supporters the match still offered a clearer view of the core ideas he is testing ahead of next summer’s World Cup — even though several major selection dilemmas remain.
On display was Tuchel’s preferred structure and some of his personnel thinking. Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers again started in the No.10 slot ahead of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. Rogers gave the team a spark when England began slowly and has impressed Tuchel with a run of strong performances in that role, though he was less decisive than in previous outings. After about an hour Bellingham came on and quickly made a more noticeable impact as spaces opened for the Real Madrid midfielder; his reintegration into the side looks inevitable and the imminent return to fitness of Cole Palmer will only intensify the competition for those central attacking roles. Whether Foden remains a front-runner for the No.10 spot is less clear.
Tuchel’s deployment of Foden also hinted at a tactical wrinkle: the Manchester City forward spent the final half-hour operating as a false nine while Harry Kane dropped deep to aid build-up play. Tuchel insists Kane will not be displaced, but suggested Foden could act as Kane’s deputy or “accomplice”, coming in when fatigue or tactics demand. If Tuchel goes to the World Cup with Kane as the nominal lone striker and uses Foden as the alternative, traditional centre-forward backups such as Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney and Danny Welbeck could find their opportunities limited.
On the left wing the battle feels narrowed. Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford look to be the primary choices despite Eberechi Eze’s eye-catching goal after coming off the bench; Eze may be viewed more as an impact substitute, while Jack Grealish and others will struggle to displace Gordon or Rashford unless circumstances change.
Left-back is still unsettled. Myles Lewis-Skelly had been seen as a frontrunner earlier in the year, but limited club minutes have opened the door to others. Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly made a bright England debut that Tuchel praised as “fantastic”, and he did not look out of place. Other options being weighed include Djed Spence, Reece James (who featured on his more familiar right side in this game), Dan Burn, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall.
The autumn’s standout breakthrough has been Elliot Anderson. Deployed in a deeper role behind Declan Rice, the Newcastle midfielder has adapted seamlessly to international football with composed, incisive passing, and he again produced a strong showing as England kept a clean sheet. Tuchel also handed Adam Wharton a brief debut, which could signal plans to try the Crystal Palace youngster in the upcoming qualifier in Albania; Alex Scott’s presence in camp, despite not making the matchday squad, shows the coach is still exploring backup options. Jordan Henderson’s appearance as a substitute for Rice reinforced the view Tuchel sees him more as an experienced No.8 than as a direct replacement for Anderson’s deeper role.
Tuchel has stressed that form and fitness will shape his World Cup decisions. While the manager’s ideas are beginning to take shape and several positions look more defined, key choices remain open and a number of high-profile players may find themselves on the outside unless circumstances change between now and the tournament.