Thomas Tuchel's England Dilemma: Selecting From an Abundance of Talent

Thomas Tuchel walked into Dallas with a dilemma most England managers could only dream of: too many good forwards, not enough shirts.

Nowhere was that clearer than on the left flank against Croatia. He went with Anthony Gordon over Marcus Rashford – a call that raised eyebrows, talk-show phone-ins and more than a few social media tirades, not least because Barcelona have already decided Gordon is the man to succeed Rashford at club level this summer.

Tuchel ignored the noise. Gordon justified the faith.

He harried, he chased, he ran in behind until Croatia’s right side looked exhausted. Seventeen touches on the ball? On paper, it looks anonymous. On grass, it was the opposite. Gordon’s job in this England side is not to rack up highlight-reel numbers every time he plays. He stretches the pitch, he presses aggressively, he drags defenders into places they don’t want to go. His influence without the ball is as central to Tuchel’s plan as anything he does with it.

Rashford can do much of that, too. He is a sharp presser, reads space superbly and lives for those runs beyond the last man. He is not a carbon copy of Gordon, but in this system he scratches a similar itch.

So when the hour mark passed and legs began to fade, Tuchel turned to the Manchester United forward. On came Rashford after 72 minutes. Thirteen minutes later, he was on the scoresheet, finishing off a flowing England move that cut Croatia apart.

Tuchel did not hide his delight.

"Marcus is just pushing and pushing and pushing in training at the highest level," he told reporters. "I am very, very happy for him that he got his [goal] and I hope he stays hungry for the next one and the next one because he was absolutely impressive over the last 17 days and he really deserved his goal."

That was one selection call. Another was even harsher.

Rogers knocking loudly

Tuchel has been openly enamoured with Morgan Rogers. The Aston Villa attacker – and a player who may not be at Villa Park much longer if bigger clubs get their way – has forced his name into every serious conversation about this England squad. He is dynamic, brave on the ball, and plays with the kind of freedom coaches secretly love.

On pure talent, Jude Bellingham still sits on a different tier. Tuchel knows it. He said it. Yet he also admitted that Rogers had pushed him right to the edge when it came to picking a starter against Croatia.

"The tough, tough decision was to take to say to Morgan Rogers that he will not start, because he deserves 100 percent to start, and he has done so well for us," Tuchel said after the game in Dallas.

Rogers had to wait. When he finally entered around the 70-minute mark, he changed the tempo instantly. He buzzed around behind the England front line, demanded the ball in tight pockets and forced Croatia to retreat. His most important contribution did not even involve a touch: a clever decoy run that tore open space in the build-up to England’s fourth and decisive goal.

There will be nights when he is not just a disruptor from the bench but a central figure from the first whistle. On this evidence, he will be ready.

Saka wrapped in cotton wool

On the opposite flank, England’s depth looked just as rich.

Djed Spence came in for Reece James at right-back and played like a man trying to slam the door on any future debate. He surged forward, overlapped relentlessly and injected pace into England’s counters. Only a sharp save denied the Tottenham defender a goal that would have capped a standout cameo.

Bukayo Saka went close as well. When fit, he is one of the first names on any England team sheet, a genuine match-winner. But after an injury-troubled season at Arsenal and an ongoing Achilles issue, Tuchel has decided to protect him. Noni Madueke started against Croatia while Saka watched, waited and then delivered 20 sharp minutes, including the assist for Rashford’s goal.

“Bukayo is ready and will get more and more ready,” Tuchel said. “I think once we go to the last game of this group, he will be ready. He was strong in training on Tuesday in small spaces. It was just a matter of if the game was open and was up and down.”

For the marquee occasions, when England need their elite weapons from the outset, Saka is a certainty. During the group stage, with a clear gulf in quality against some opponents, Tuchel can afford to manage his star winger’s workload and let him edge back to full sharpness.

Quality in reserve – and plenty of it

Then there are the players who did not even step on the field in Dallas.

Ollie Watkins, fresh from a superb season with Aston Villa, stayed on the bench. So did Eberechi Eze, the mercurial Arsenal playmaker, and Kobbie Mainoo, who on Manchester United form alone would walk into many midfields at this tournament.

For England, this is unfamiliar territory. Memories linger of 2018, when Sir Gareth Southgate looked down his bench in the World Cup semi-final against Croatia and saw Danny Welbeck and Fabian Delph as his attacking options. Back then, there were essentially two serious game-changers in reserve: Rashford and Jamie Vardy.

This group is different. This squad is stacked.

That wealth of talent comes with a cost. These are not fringe players at their clubs. Of Tuchel’s 26-man squad, all but three – John Stones, Madueke and reserve goalkeeper James Trafford – were regular starters last season. They are used to influence, responsibility, rhythm. Watching from the touchline tests their patience.

Some have already knocked on the manager’s door. Rashford among them.

"Just yesterday, we had a conversation where I told him [Rashford] that I’m very, very impressed with his last 16 days, with how he was in camp, how he pushes on the pitch," Tuchel revealed after the Croatia win. "He’s totally involved in every meeting. He’s very, very fast in translating a meeting onto the pitch."

Tuchel is banking on their professionalism. He knows the next four weeks will demand sacrifice.

“It is now four more weeks and in four weeks you can swallow it and digest it and buy into it. We selected the group because we were sure that they could do it and they all can," he said.

Some understand their role from the outset. Jordan Henderson, at 36, is here as much for his experience and influence in the dressing room as his legs. Ivan Toney’s value is obvious the moment a knockout tie drifts towards penalties. If Dan Burn or Jarrell Quansah are heavily involved, it likely means something has gone badly wrong elsewhere.

When Tuchel was pressed before the Croatia game on who his starters were, he smiled and spoke of having "14 or 15 starters". It sounded like a line. It felt like the truth.

Built for a long tournament

This World Cup, played in draining conditions after brutal club campaigns, will not be won by a team that leans on the same XI every game. Rotations are not a luxury; they are a necessity. It would be a shock to see Tuchel name the same side for eight matches across four weeks.

The crucial point for England is that they can rotate without a noticeable drop in quality. If Bellingham needs a breather, Rogers can step in and keep the attacking structure intact. If Harry Kane sits out a dead-rubber third group game, Watkins is waiting, sharp and ruthless.

This is not the England of old, praying that the stars stay fit and the bench remains untouched. This is a squad designed to absorb blows, to change games late, to protect tired legs without losing edge.

Some of those watching on in Dallas will end up defining this campaign, not from the start of matches but from the moment they are unleashed. The question now is simple: with this much firepower in reserve, how far can Tuchel really take them by the time July 19 comes around?