England's Depth: Tuchel's Dilemma in World Cup Squad
Thomas Tuchel stood in Dallas with a problem most England managers would have killed for: too many good players, not enough minutes.
His side had just beaten Croatia, and nowhere was that wealth of options clearer than on the left of his attack.
Gordon starts, Rashford finishes
Tuchel had already made his first big call before a ball was kicked. Anthony Gordon over Marcus Rashford. A Barcelona-bound winger preferred to the Manchester United star many believed should be untouchable in this England side.
It looked bold. It was calculated.
Gordon barely saw the ball – just 17 touches – yet that number tells almost none of the story. He harried, he chased, he darted in behind. He stretched Croatia’s back line, dragged defenders into places they didn’t want to go and created space for others to play.
He didn’t need to score. He didn’t need to rack up chances. His job was to disturb the structure, to make life uncomfortable. He did it.
Then came Rashford.
Tuchel turned to him after 72 minutes, with England seeking fresh legs and sharper edges. Thirteen minutes later, Rashford was on the scoresheet, finishing off a flowing team move that underlined exactly why he remains such a dangerous weapon.
Tuchel’s praise afterwards was pointed and personal. Rashford, he said, had been “pushing and pushing and pushing in training at the highest level” and “really deserved his goal” after an “absolutely impressive” 17 days in camp. The message was clear: this wasn’t a sulking superstar. This was a senior player buying into the grind.
Rogers on the brink
Rashford wasn’t the only one knocking on the door.
Tuchel has been openly enamoured with Morgan Rogers. The Aston Villa attacker, already being linked with a move up the club ladder, has forced his way into the conversation through sheer quality. Tuchel even admitted that leaving him out of the XI against Croatia was a “tough, tough decision”, insisting Rogers “deserves 100 percent to start”.
He didn’t. Yet he still changed the game.
Introduced around the 70-minute mark, Rogers buzzed between the lines, constantly available, constantly asking questions. His most important contribution didn’t even show up on the stat sheet: a clever decoy run that helped open the path for England’s decisive fourth goal.
There is a strong case that he and Jude Bellingham can operate in tandem rather than in competition. On this evidence, that day will come. For now, Rogers is the kind of substitute every coach craves: dangerous, direct, and unfazed by the stage.
Saka wrapped in cotton wool
On the opposite flank, the story was about protection rather than promotion.
Bukayo Saka is one of England’s finest. When fit, he starts. No debate. But after an injury-hit season at Arsenal and with an Achilles problem to manage, Tuchel has chosen caution.
Noni Madueke got the nod from the off in Dallas. Saka was held back, then unleashed. In 20 minutes, he reminded everyone why he is so important, knitting play together and laying on the assist for Rashford’s goal.
“Bukayo is ready and will get more and more ready,” Tuchel said. He expects the winger to be fully primed by the final group game, pointing to a strong training session in tight spaces the day before Croatia. The implication: England can afford to ease him in now, because tougher nights are coming.
Spence steps in, others wait
Depth is not just a theme in attack. It runs right through this squad.
At right-back, Djed Spence stepped in for Reece James and played like a man intent on staying there. He surged forward, gave England extra thrust on the break and came close to scoring himself, denied only by sharp goalkeeping.
And then there are the players who never even made it onto the pitch.
Ollie Watkins, who finished the season in outstanding form for Aston Villa, stayed on the bench. So did Eberechi Eze, the creative spark at Arsenal, and Kobbie Mainoo, whose Manchester United performances would have made him a starter in plenty of other national teams at this tournament.
They watched. They waited. They will know their time may still come.
From Welbeck and Delph to a 15-man XI
The contrast with recent history is stark.
Cast your mind back to 2018. Sir Gareth Southgate looked down the bench in a World Cup semi-final against Croatia and saw Danny Welbeck and Fabian Delph as his attacking alternatives. Realistically, England had two game-changing options in reserve: Rashford and Jamie Vardy.
This version of England is different. Tuchel’s 26-man squad is stacked.
All but three players – John Stones, Madueke and reserve goalkeeper James Trafford – were regular starters for their clubs last season. These are not squad-fillers. They are central figures, used to influence, not inertia.
That brings its own tension. Tuchel admitted that some players, including Rashford, have already asked why they are not seeing more minutes. But he also made it clear that this group was selected precisely because they could handle that reality.
“It is now four more weeks and in four weeks you can swallow it and digest it and buy into it,” he said. England, he believes, have the mentality to match their talent.
Roles, realities and rotation
Not everyone is here for the same reason, and the players know it.
Jordan Henderson, at 36, offers experience and presence as much as minutes. Ivan Toney’s value spikes if knockout games go to penalties. If Dan Burn or Jarrell Quansah are heavily involved, something has gone badly wrong elsewhere.
Tuchel summed up his dilemma neatly when asked who might start against Croatia. He said he had “14 or 15 starters” – players he trusts to impact the game from the first whistle or from the bench.
In this World Cup, with draining conditions and players coming off gruelling club campaigns, that number might not just be a luxury. It might be a necessity. It would be a major surprise to see Tuchel roll with the same XI for up to eight matches over four weeks.
The schedule will force his hand. England, for once, are built to withstand it.
If Bellingham needs a breather, Rogers is waiting. If Harry Kane can be spared in a dead-rubber third group match, Watkins is ready. Behind them, others lurk, hungry, proven, and desperate to leave their mark.
This is not the England of thin benches and tired legs. This is a squad designed to last until July 19, when the final kicks off and the question will be simple: did that depth turn from a talking point into a trophy?
