The rehearsal is over. England have played their last tune up before the real theatre of World Cup football begins and Thomas Tuchel now has a squad s...
The rehearsal is over. England have played their last tune up before the real theatre of World Cup football begins and Thomas Tuchel now has a squad sheet that is both a source of excitement and a headache. We have seen the patterns, the flashes of brilliance, and the moments of worry. The question is no longer about potential but about who has actually grabbed their chance by the scruff of the neck.Let's start with the man everyone wants to talk about. Jude Bellingham. Has he done enough On the pitch, he has been a force of nature, driving forward, covering ground, and demanding the ball in tight spaces. His movement between the lines has caused chaos for defences that sit deep. Yet there is a nagging doubt. In the final third, against a low block, his decision making has occasionally been rushed. He forces passes that aren't there or takes shots from distance when a simpler option is on. Is that the hallmark of a player who knows his place is secure or a young man trying too hard to be the hero Tuchel will value that aggression, but he also demands tactical discipline. For all the noise, Bellingham has probably done just enough to start against Croatia, but he hasn't made the position his own. Not quite.Further up the pitch, the forward line is a puzzle with a few missing pieces. Harry Kane's place is beyond question, but the supporting cast The wide players have been inconsistent. One moment they rip a full back apart with pace, the next they bottle a simple cross. It has been a case of nearly but not quite. Meanwhile, in the middle of the park, the holding midfielders have quietly impressed. They have protected the back four with a simplicity that is easy to overlook but impossible to replace. That stability could be the bedrock England need when the pressure hits in the knockout rounds.Defensively, there are serious questions. The centre back pairing has looked assured against lesser opposition, but against a side that can transition quickly There were moments of panic, a lack of communication that led to a couple of cheap goals conceded in the warm up games. If England are to go deep, that backline cannot afford such lapses. England have not yet convinced as a collective unit. They have moments of individual magic but lack the sustained control that Tuchel demands. It feels like a team still searching for its identity. One thing is for certain. Croatia will not be as forgiving as the opposition in these friendlies. Squeaky bum time is coming, and we will see who really belongs on that starting list.
