Bellingham set to start, but no Guehi – England’s expected team

During his first media briefing here in the United States, England manager Thomas Tuchel said he had “14 or 15” players in mind to start their World Cup opener against Croatia next week.

Of course, it’s in the best interests of every manager to keep people guessing on his team selection.

But did Tuchel give away clues in his team’s final World Cup warm-up game against Costa Rica on Wednesday?

Well, there is certainly a sense within the camp that the team that started in Orlando, barring maybe one or two exceptions, will be the side that begins the tournament.

Crucially, that would mean Jude Bellingham is set to win the race ahead of Morgan Rogers to play in the coveted No 10 role.

The Bellingham or Rogers debate has been among the most fiercely debated heading into the tournament.

Bellingham’s ability and history of producing special moments in an England shirt is unquestionable.

The fact he plays in the pressurised environment of Real Madrid merely serves to fuel the sense that he should start here in the USA.

But the emergence of Rogers as a more than viable option in the central attacking position has led to some uncertainty over Bellingham’s role.

Nevertheless, with sources indicating that the team that started in the 3-0 win over Costa Rica will be close to the team that Tuchel picks against Croatia on Wednesday – then Rogers will likely have to settle for a place on the bench.

Indeed, if that is the case, it appears that John Stones and Ezri Konsa will start the World Cup as England’s first-choice central defensive pairing.

That would come as a shock to many given the widely held view that Marc Guehi was the team’s first-choice centre-back.

Guehi, since his move from Crystal Palace to Manchester City, was picked ahead of Stones during the final months of the season by Pep Guardiola, though the latter’s campaign was heavily disrupted by injury.

Guehi became central to England’s plans during Euro 2024 and his ascendancy at international level was expected to rise further under Tuchel.

But there is an emerging feeling that Tuchel prefers more physicality in his central defensive pairing – with Stones and Konsa bigger than Guehi.

However, heading into the game against Croatia, the England head coach will also have to consider the question of balance.

Guehi generally plays as the left-sided central defender, so with Stones and Konsa both right-footed, balance may still be an issue that Tuchel may consider heading into the Croatia contest.

On the right side of England’s attack, Noni Madueke started ahead of Bukayo Saka on Wednesday.

Of course, a fully fit Saka would almost certainly start ahead of his Arsenal team-mate.

But Tuchel has admitted that Saka will need to be managed during the tournament as he still feels the effects of a lower leg muscular issue that prevented the attacker from playing a full part in Arsenal’s season run-in.

Indeed, there was genuine concern at the Emirates Stadium towards the back end of last season that Saka would miss the final weeks of the campaign and there remains concern at Arsenal about his fitness given he is currently not under their auspices.

There is hope, however, that Saka’s fitness is improving day-by-day here in the US.

If England were playing in the knockout stages today, there is every chance Saka could play from the start – although potentially not finish the game.

So heading into the group stages, how much protection Tuchel provides Saka will be a factor towards the team the German decides to pick.

But in Madueke, Tuchel has a player he trusts and clearly rates, should the manager decide to ease Saka into the tournament.