In Thomas Tuchel England trust! Winners & losers as Jude Bellingham faces almighty fight to win back his precarious Three Lions place after more Morgan Rogers magic in Wales rout

OK, it's too soon for Thomas Tuchel to start doing victory laps as England boss - and knowing his career to date, he won't - but this was another statement of intent from a manager who will take the full brunt of criticism at the first possible opportunity when he's in this job.

The English public have long been demanding their team to play fast, energetic football. They have always wanted to see them take the game to whoever the opposition may be. On Thursday, the Three Lions were so rampant in this regard that if anything, they killed the excitement of the game - it was the first time they had scored three goals inside the first 20 minutes since November 1987 against Yugoslavia, who at that point were still five years away from splitting.

Tuchel's mission to build on the club-style feel of the England camp led him to making only one change from the September squad to this one, with the injured Noni Madueke making way for club team-mate Saka. The connections and partnerships all over the Wembley pitch were clear to see here, with the hosts quicker, stronger and smarter than Wales in every department, irrespective of the gap in technical quality.

Despite the win, Tuchel has still managed to make a rod for his own back by criticising the home crowd in a post-match interview with ITV, claiming his players didn't receive the support they deserved and bemoaning how quickly the stadium emptied during a pedestrian second half. He'll soon come to learn that England matches at Wembley will never see a rip-roaring atmosphere, with the demographic of those who follow them abroad and to major tournaments being far more boisterous.

When the England squad was announced last Friday, the most startling omission was that of Jude Bellingham, who has returned to action with Real Madrid after a two-month layoff following shoulder surgery. This was initially put down to the midfielder receiving only a smattering of minutes since taking to the pitch again, but Tuchel was blunt with his principles of team-building before Thursday's visit of Wales.

"We are not collecting the most talented players, we are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else," the German said. "That's how it is in international football. But the thing you are playing [back to me] is not what I am saying. You are playing the game that says: 'He [Tuchel] is saying the others who aren't in the team, you cannot build a team with them'. It's not like this. We built a team with the players who were available and they did so well so we go again with them. Nobody said we can't do the same with them. Or even better, or maybe the same level, with the others.

"For this moment we stick with our choice and the radical statement is that we don't collect the most talented players. We collect the guys who have the glue and cohesion to be the best team. Because we need to arrive as the best team. We will arrive as underdogs at the World Cup because we haven't won it for decades and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time. So we have to arrive as a team or we will have no chance."

The door is open for those who missed out on this camp to return in the future, but time is already running out for them to make an impression, with only two more international windows coming before the end of the club season. Bellingham is the headline loser, but the likes of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden should also be concerned of how they fit into this team.

One man whose place in the England fold isn't in doubt is Saka, whose super strike rounded off the scoring on Thursday. It was trademark from the Arsenal winger, coming inside onto his left foot and letting fly a la peak Arjen Robben. This also made him the highest-scoring Gunner in the history of the men's national team, with his 13 strikes now the number to beat.

Since breaking into the Three Lions side at Euro 2020, Saka has consistently proven one of the team's most reliable performers. It's to his credit that his England naysayers barely get a chance to voice that opinion before he shuts their mouths again, usually in the most emphatic of ways. After Harry Kane, he's probably the outfielder who's most likely to definitely start for England when fit, on par with vice-captain Declan Rice.

Saka also welcomed Tuchel's message from the top that he will pick players to form the best team, rather than 'collecting the most talented players'. "What he's setting is very healthy competition, it's fair," Saka told Sky Sports. "Everywhere I look I see quality, whether it's in my position or in other positions, whoever it is we have to perform. When you have the shirt, you have to perform whether you're starting or coming in. At the end of the day we're all doing our best so England can win, that's what it's about."

For whatever reason, Rogers hasn't found his best form for Aston Villa this season. Then again, nor has anyone else in Unai Emery's squad, so that suggests the problem lies within the walls of Villa Park. Rogers' superb showings in an England shirt only add to that theory.

The attacking midfielder has quickly become one of Tuchel's 'dependables', and if anything he is the one player most likely to prevent Bellingham from winning his place back as a starter. There isn't any need to drop Rogers at the moment, even despite his indifferent performances at club level. Some players are just better suited to the international game.

A maiden goal for England set the 23-year-old and his team-mates on their way. With Wales' defenders sleeping from a corner, Rogers peeled away from centre-back Joe Rodon into a pocket of space inside the 18-yard box, affording him ample room to sweep a low shot into the net.

Speaking to ITV, Rogers said of his first international goal: "It's a proud moment to do it at home in a home nation derby. A dream come true. The quality of players we have with people here and not here, you can never be too comfortable, or else people will take your role."

There were plenty of players who made good on Tuchel's decision to stand by the members of his September camp. One of those who may feel this was a missed opportunity, however, is Anthony Gordon.

It all started so well for Newcastle's headbanded hero, too. It was he who won the corner leading to Rogers' opener, linking up with Djed Spence down the left flank before roaming to the right and forcing a fine low save out of Darlow. He then proceeded to roast Neco Williams time and time again, showing enough promise to have you believing he would get on the scoresheet.

As it turns out, that was as good as it got for Gordon, who stated earlier in the week that he's only been playing at "50 per cent" of his potential in an England shirt. Against the Welsh, he repeatedly waited too long to get shots away and looked uncomfortable as a makeshift centre-forward during the second half, so much so that Tuchel gave up with that experiment for the final 20 minutes and moved him back to the wing.

With so many other options waiting in the wings, Gordon's spot is up for grabs. He may not receive too many more opportunities to try and keep it.

Kane didn't play a single minute, his replacement scored a goal, and yet he's still a winner. 'How?', you may be asking. Well, let's break it down.

Maybe most importantly, Kane is a relentless machine of a man who wants to play every minute of every game, no matter what the situation or the opponent. Tottenham fans became so concerned by this when he was at the club that a conspiracy started suggesting it was written into his contract that legally he must feature whenever fit enough. On this occasion, Kane's participation was taken out of his hands after coming off with a knock in Bayern Munich's 3-0 triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend. He was ruled out of Thursday's affair but still made the bench, though remained an unused substitute even despite Watkins coming off at half-time and Gordon putting in a stinker as a No.9.

Watkins' performance as a starter was also a mixed bag. Sure, he managed to score from a couple of yards (maybe even a couple of metres) out, yet he also missed from the same spot towards the end of the first half, leading to his leg colliding with the post and forcing him off at the break. Panic sets in at every international tournament when Kane goes more than one game without scoring, but now his place feels safer than ever. He has a prior relationship with Tuchel, is in the form of his life with Bayern and anyone considered a potential replacement is nowhere near his level. All the while, he got a rare night off. You can chalk that one up as a win for Kane.