England vs Croatia: Tuchel’s last-minute selection puzzles

Tuchel’s last-minute – Thomas Tuchel insists England’s standards are high after the Costa Rica friendly, but the World Cup opener vs Croatia is still surrounded by uncertainty. His choices at No 10, on both wings, and at centre-back remain in flux, with Jordan Henderson praising the

The England squad can feel how close it is now. One World Cup opener is coming, and yet Thomas Tuchel is still leaving the door open for some of the biggest calls.

The starting XI, at least on the surface, doesn’t look like it needs dramatic surgery. Tuchel was glowing in his praise of the standards and intensity shown in the final friendly win over Costa Rica. Jordan Henderson. watching from the sidelines. called it the best performance he has ever seen from an England side on the eve of a major tournament—an endorsement that lands with real weight this close to kickoff.

Still, Tuchel has never been predictable in the way some England managers are. For supporters, the media, and even the players, the pattern is familiar: certain positions look settled, but the final decisions—especially in midfield, on the wings, and in central defence—can swing late.

The biggest argument is at No 10, where Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers have been battling for the shirt. On recent evidence—across the two friendly matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica. and. as stated. in training—Bellingham has pulled ahead of his close friend. That points to the Real Madrid man getting the nod against Croatia.

But Tuchel hasn’t been a coach who lets momentum harden into certainty. There is a counterweight to all that: Rogers was the obvious forward across England’s qualifying campaign. featuring in all eight qualifiers. The strongest chance of a reversal is the one that keeps creeping into the conversation. especially because Tuchel can change his mind and revert.

If No 10 is the contest at the centre of it, the wings are where fitness and form collide.

On the right, Noni Madueke started against Costa Rica, with Bukayo Saka managing his minutes. Since then, Saka has been adamant he is fit and ready to play. He has also said he wouldn’t go against what the head coach has said—that he is not ready to play a full 90 minutes. That distinction matters. Even if Saka feels ready, it remains Tuchel’s decision whether he plays.

It’s the same kind of late-call uncertainty on the left, but with a different emotional charge. Anthony Gordon has made huge strides in his battle with Marcus Rashford. Yet inside the camp. the buzz has shifted toward Rashford’s condition: he is said to be in the best physical shape. showing impressive form in training. and carrying the most positive mindset anyone has seen for many years.

Tuchel’s own history with Rashford adds pressure to the narrative. It’s hard to bet against the forward who has been a Tuchel favourite ever since he became head coach 18 months ago.

Then comes centre-back, where the picture looks messier than the “nailed-on starter” assumption that has hung over Marc Guehi.

For some time, the idea has been Guehi starting, with either John Stones or Ezri Konsa alongside him. That feels less certain now after Tuchel partnered Konsa and Stones together against Costa Rica. Whichever two of those three ultimately get the nod may come down to a late Tuchel gut feeling.

The tilt in the conversation is that Stones will start, with either his Manchester City teammate or the Aston Villa mainstay beside him.

Complicating all of that is a late blow at full-back. Tino Livramento is injured. He will be replaced by Trevoh Chalobah, who is another option at centre-back—an unexpected twist that can influence how Tuchel thinks about central combinations.

Tuchel also has a well-known habit when it comes to selection timing. He traditionally leaves his final team selections very late, with the approach that he sleeps on whatever he’s thinking the night before so he can evaluate again with a clear mind on the actual day of the match.

Even so, there is still a baseline of certainty. What can be said with reasonable confidence is that most of England’s positions—probably seven of them—seem set in stone.

Jordan Pickford will begin his third World Cup in goal. Reece James is certainly the first-choice right-back, and Nico O’Reilly is likely to make his World Cup debut at left-back.

In midfield, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson are expected to form the engine room, with Bellingham likely ahead of them. And at the point of the attack, Harry Kane.

That leaves four positions where Tuchel still appears to be deciding for himself—No 10 between Bellingham and Rogers, two wing spots shaped by fitness and form, and the centre-back pairing where Guehi’s position is no longer simply assumed.

The closer it gets to kickoff, the more one thing feels clear: Tuchel may praise intensity, and he may like consistency, but on the night England face Croatia, the last word still belongs to his final team-sheet instinct.

England vs Croatia Thomas Tuchel Jude Bellingham Morgan Rogers Bukayo Saka Noni Madueke Anthony Gordon Marcus Rashford John Stones Ezri Konsa Marc Guehi Jordan Pickford Reece James Nico O'Reilly Declan Rice Elliot Anderson Harry Kane Tino Livramento Trevoh Chalobah World Cup opener