Have your say on whether Morgan Rogers should start over Jude Bellingham (Image: GETTY)
It’s only a week until the World Cup finally gets underway, but England won’t play their first match for another fortnight. They have been placed in Group L and will begin their campaign against Croatia before facing Ghana and Panama. The majority of the squad have already flown to North America ahead of warm-up games against New Zealand and Costa Rica.
Those fixtures will give Thomas Tuchel a better idea of how England should line up when the tournament begins. While some players are virtually guaranteed a place in the starting line-up, including the likes of Jordan Pickford, Marc Guehi and Harry Kane, things are less clear-cut in other positions.
There will be plenty of competition for places in the middle of the park, with the Three Lions boasting no shortage of creativity within their ranks.
One area that Tuchel must figure out is the attacking midfield role just behind the lone striker. Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham are the main contenders, but much will depend on whether the England manager goes with form or reputation.
Based on their performances at club level throughout the season just gone, Rogers takes the biscuit. Backed by impressive statistics and a European trophy, his impressive form and superior match fitness could give him the edge heading into the World Cup.
Bellingham, however, is a bigger name than Rogers and was a key man for England at the Euros two years ago. While his recent form for Real Madrid hasn’t been spectacular, he is a world-class player on his day and can certainly do a job for the Three Lions.
He is also capable of playing in a deeper midfield role but is usually at his best further forward, presenting a selection dilemma for Tuchel.
Alan Shearer is a firm believer that Rogers should be trusted to play in the No 10 role ahead of Bellingham, given his exploits for Villa this season.
Speaking to The Sun, the former England striker said: “At the minute, Rogers has maybe just edged it. I mean Bellingham’s had one or two injury problems and Rogers has been able to go in there and do very well.
“So, I’d think it’ll be him that will start. And we’ll have to see what happens with Bellingham. Rogers has been fantastic. He’s a really, really talented guy and he’s earned the right to go into a World Cup and hopefully do very, very well.”
Dropping a high-profile player like Bellingham would certainly cause a stir, given that he doesn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with Tuchel, but Shearer is confident the coaching staff will handle it.
He stated: “Clearly, the XI that starts the first game is not going to be the XI that plays every game and right through the tournament. And if there’s a manager to handle players, big players being left out, then it’s this manager.”
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