England and the three attacking dilemmas heading into the 2026 World Cup: unleash Saka, Rashford or Gordon and who will be the number 10?

Now that the commotion surrounding his selection has died down, Thomas Tuchel focuses on the key question for England: who will actually start on the field? His 4-2-3-1 is all about balance. Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson form the regular pairing in the six, Harry Kane - after 61 goals for Bayern Munich last season - is untouchable in the striker position. It looks stable at the back with a probable four of Nico O'Reilly, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa and Reece James. The real choices are in the three positions behind Kane. With two friendlies to go – tonight against New Zealand in Tampa and Wednesday against Costa Rica in Orlando (both 9pm UK time, 4pm ET) – Tuchel must put his attacking puzzle together.

1) Let Saka's spark fly again Bukayo Saka experienced his sporting peak in 2025-26 with a national title and a Champions League final place, but individually the past few seasons have been erratic. Injury, fatigue and a tactical shift at Arsenal towards more defensive security (twenty goals fewer than the 91 in 2023-24) dampened his production. Furthermore, Arsenal rely heavily on Saka as their primary outlet, with 41.7 percent of attacks coming down his flank. Opponents anticipated and regularly doubled or tripled him; 90.3 percent of his passes were completed under pressure – the highest proportion of all non-strikers. For England, the solution lies in variety: less predictable attacking sequences and overlapping runs from the right back, as Saka thrives at Arsenal alongside Ben White. Tax also plays a role: before he was 24, Saka had already played 15,312 Premier League minutes, the tenth highest ever at that age. Rotation could provide relief, with Noni Madueke a capable replacement. Tuchel sees him as a substitute who can make an immediate difference: he praised Madueke at the selection announcement and hinted at rotation, especially in the group stage.


2) Left: Rashford or Gordon? On the left, the choice awaits between Marcus Rashford - who was loaned to Barcelona last season and is keen on a permanent move - and Anthony Gordon, who profiles as a lightning-fast, straightforward winger. Their threat is similar, but the accents differ: Rashford cuts inside more often and looks for the penalty area, Gordon prefers to keep wide and accelerate towards the back line. Without the ball, Rashford offers more depth, but Tuchel attaches great importance to Gordon's work against the ball. After the 5-0 victory in qualifying over Latvia, he praised the latter's sprint meters and intensity in high pressure. The figures underline the difference: in the Champions League, Rashford averaged fourteen fewer high pressures per match than Gordon. The trade-off is clear: does Rashford's extra goal danger outweigh Gordon's tireless counter-pressing?

3) The number 10: Bellingham or Rogers? Tuchel wants competition without damaging team spirit and pointed to the friendly rivalry between Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers. In terms of sport, there are clear trade-offs. If he wants more support alongside Rice and Anderson, Bellingham is the obvious choice: more active defensively with 4.11 tackles and 1.13 interceptions per 1,000 opponent touches, roughly double Rogers' 2.02 and 0.62. If Tuchel opts for pure final phase impact, then Rogers speaks: strong on the counter, ten competition goals (four more than Bellingham) and six assists (two more).The interaction with Kane is also important. A recurring criticism in previous years: the number 10 came into the zones where Kane likes to sink. Bellingham more often stays in the central corridor, Rogers tends to deviate to the left. It is up to Tuchel to determine whose runs best suit Kane's tendency to play between the lines.

Time is ticking. With New Zealand (Tampa) and Costa Rica (Orlando) as the final tests, Tuchel can still fine-tune. Then the serious work begins and Saka's threat, the choice on the left and the interpretation of the number 10 should be rock solid.