As Thomas Tuchel’s side excel, can England continue to ignore Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer?

The defining question of Gareth Southgate’s final tournament as England manager was how he might jam all four of his top tier attacking midfielders into one team. There is still plenty of time to go until the summer’s FIFA World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico, but it already seems like Thomas Tuchel’s first, and perhaps only, major competition will be about how many he can live without.

England are humming, and while they will face few opponents as accommodating as Wales in the decisive moments of next summer, they might have to beat a few teams on that level to get through. At Wembley Stadium on Friday they did so in exactly the fashion of tournament contenders, blasting their way to a 3-0 lead inside 20 minutes that they never felt compelled to add to in a routine friendly win. All Tuchel had to grumble about was how quiet the home supporters had been. In their defense, anyone who left it late in getting to northwest London might find they had missed all the action. Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Bukayo Saka scored all the goals in the first 20 minutes.

On the back of a 5-0 win in Serbia that made qualification for the World Cup a matter of when not if, England are riding high. Their form is all the more impressive given that their last two wins have been earned with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer: three of the four attacking midfielders who Southgate so struggled to jam into the space behind Harry Kane and in front of Declan Rice last summer. Indeed, that victory in Belgrade came without Saka too, his Arsenal team mate Noni Madueke performing so well that Tuchel suggested that he might have just rolled out entirely the same squad if it hadn’t been for an injury to the right winger.

There are mitigating factors to explain some of these big name absentees. Palmer’s season has been disrupted by a groin injury, while the suggestion that Foden has got his groove back in Manchester City colors clashes awkwardly with his solitary goal so far in the Premier League this season. Tuchel has been at pains to say that Bellingham’s absence is to enable him to rediscover rhythm at club level, having made just one start for Real Madrid since returning from a shoulder injury.

Tuchel has been at pains to emphasise Bellingham’s qualities, rightly describing him as one of the best midfielders in the world and a player that makes England a stronger team. No wonder given that there has been some bridge mending to do after saying last year that his mother occasionally finds Bellingham’s attitude “repulsive,” a word for which he swiftly apologized. Given Tuchel was speaking in his second language too, some mitigation is allowed.

It is not when discussing Bellingham, Palmer or Foden as individuals that Tuchel is most illuminating however. Consider how he addresses the England squad in the abstract, and where he takes inspiration from. “I just watched a documentary on the New England Patriots and saw a quote there — ‘We don’t collect the most talented players, we build a team,’” Tuchel said before the Wales win. “I cannot agree more. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Trying and succeeding, at least in the last two international breaks, which Tuchel and his players have spoken of in glowing terms. It is hard not to see that in contrast to Bellingham in particular, whose demeanor when in an England shirt is always a matter of great contention. So is the conduct of his parents, already raked over the coals for how they have acted since their younger son Jobe moved to Borussia Dortmund.

Against which it is worth noting that there have been no public issues between Bellingham and either his England managers or teammates. Nor, it should be noted, do Madrid have many issues with the swaggering brilliance of Bellingham. He might be closer with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, another who seems to have work to do in winning Tuchel’s trust, but Declan Rice, England’s captain Friday night, spoke in glowing terms of what Bellingham could offer when he returns to the squad, not if.

For the most part it seems that players are relishing Tuchel’s approach, one where performances on the international stage are rewarded. Even the one man to come into the squad seemed impressed. Saka marked his return with a brilliant curling strike in the 20th minute, and speaking afterwards he said,  “It’s pretty new to me but at the same time it’s fair, it’s healthy, it’s only going to get the best out of me and any players around me or any other position in the team. 

“It’s about us pushing each other and trying to get each other to perform at the highest level.”

For now, England seem to be approaching that highest level. Places that once looked up for debate might be, at the very least, being penciled in ahead of the summer. Elliot Anderson has been the best English player in the Premier League this season and dovetailed superbly with Rice, generally sitting deeper to dictate the tempo and allow his captain to bomb on. If Marc Guehi and John Stones are fit for the journey to North America, they will have to start together.

Ahead of them Anthony Gordon was dominent on the left, energetic in his pressing and offering the sort of running away from the ball that the Three Lions so badly needed when they staggered to the final of Euro 2024. Ollie Watkins covered nicely for Harry Kane before the captain’s likely return for the World Cup qualifier in Latvia. Arguably the star in the front four was Morgan Rogers, scorer of one and unlucky not to get a second when his shot rattled against the crossbar.

“Morgan does excellent, like the whole team,” said Tuchel. “He is very humble, he is very physical, he has the ability to score and assist. He had a fantastic season and got a well deserved vote for the best young player in the Premier League. That’s what he shows. We trust the team. 

“I told you very early, why not trust this team that had such a great camp last time? They showed again that one and a half training sessions are enough to put out a performance like this, to adapt, to be ready, to work for each other and put the work rate in that is necessary to have so many ball wins. Morgan was one piece of the puzzle. It was a team effort and he was an important part of the team today.”

Tuchel went on to praise the development of his side, in particular how they adapted to dealing with Wales’ high press after two games in which they had been tasked with breaking down a low block. The signs of growth are apparent, of an XI that is humming at a level that might make it hard for their manager to slot England into the “contender” group rather than “favorites” to win the World Cup.

If so, what of Bellingham? In all likelihood, it is merely a matter of time before we see him back in an England shirt. After all as Tuchel himself noted there was every reason for continuity between squads given the short turnaround between the September and October international breaks. The same might well be true when the Three Lions wrap up their qualifiers against Serbia and Albania in November. 

After that will be a long break before warm up friendlies, enough time for Bellingham to find the irresistible form that has entranced Madrid fans. Time too for Rogers to up his performances for Aston Villa. The Rogers that England have seen on international duty has shown up at club level too infrequently in 2025. If that does not change then it will be harder for Tuchel, intent on making his national side feel like “a club team”, to indulge a misfiring player.

“The competition is on,” said Tuchel last night. “You can feel it.” And everyone in this England squad, including some of its biggest names, has a fight on their hands to emerge as a winner.