Thomas Tuchel’s biggest selection decision is who he starts in the number 10 role for England’s World Cup opener against Croatia.
The Three Lions came through their two warm-up games unscathed, securing comfortable victories over New Zealand and Costa Rica in preparation for the tournament.
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Tuchel wouldn’t have learned an awful lot about his team during those matches, and that includes whether to start Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers behind Harry Kane.
Rogers or Bellingham is a talking point dominating the headlines ahead of the showdown on Wednesday. Based on club form, Rogers arguably deserves the nod, but Bellingham’s world-class ability cannot be understated.
Nonetheless, former England international Chris Waddle believes the Aston Villa playmaker deserves to start ahead of the Real Madrid man in the number 10, as he feels Bellingham should play as a conventional midfielder.
“I think Rogers is the No 10 pick for me,” Waddle told the Yorkshire Post. “I think with Bellingham, you could play him as a (conventional) midfield player.
“He’s got the energy, he’s got the legs. I don’t think I’d class him as the ‘10’, I’d play him as a midfield player if I was going to play him.”
Waddle, who earned 62 caps for the Three Lions, didn’t acknowledge that Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson are almost nailed to start as the midfield duo in the opening World Cup game.
Bellingham, meanwhile, has rarely been used as a deep-lying midfielder for club or country in recent years, and so discourse around him playing in a position that isn’t number 10 seems pointless.
