Jude Bellingham looks like a World Cup bench-warmer under headstrong Thomas Tuchel: Winners and losers as Real Madrid star is made to wait for a start while Nico O'Reilly and Ezri Konsa stake claims in Serbia win

So long as Morgan Rogers is starting games as England's No.10, we have to lump these two together. That role should be theirs to lose, yet now it's up to them to win it back off the Aston Villa sensation.

When Tuchel's starting XI was leaked a few hours before kick-off on Thursday, the headline news was the absence of both Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, with Rogers continuing in a midfield three alongside Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson. The England boss had already claimed he saw the snubbed duo as attacking midfielders rather than wide options, so this sent a clear warning to them - show the country why you should be playing from minute one.

Perhaps Bellingham's prospects are looking a little brighter given when he was introduced from the bench, he was the one to go into the No.10 position, while Foden went up front in place of Harry Kane. They both played a part in Eze's clinching goal, with the Real Madrid man powering his way up the pitch and feeding the Manchester City star, who in turn shifted possession for the Arsenal favourite to expertly place in the top corner.

When asked by ITV how he thought he did as an impact sub, Foden replied: "I thought I did well, created some chances, unlucky not to put a few away. Overall I think I have to be happy with the impact I did today." He also admitted he would accept coming off the bench if that appeased Tuchel, but there will come a point where these two players - one who was on the Ballon d'Or podium 12 months ago, the other the PFA Players' Player of the Year shortly before that - will be demanding more. An England manager can only hold back that tide for so long.

Saka became Arsenal's highest-scoring player for the England men's team last month when he netted in their rout against Wales. However, head coach Tuchel wasn't that impressed with the record.

"How many goals did he score for England? 13? One-three?" the German said with incredulity. "This has to be more. It's not enough. He needs to keep on going. I thought it's 30 at least! And then I would have said 'well it's not enough' because I'm never, never satisfied."

In fairness, this was a stance that Saka himself understood. "I 100 percent agree with him. So, yeah, let's go for more," the Arsenal winger told talkSPORT this week.

"I think just being on the pitch is enough. In the England shirt, you have players of immense quality who can create chances, who can score chances. So just being on the pitch for me I think is enough. It's up to me, the manager, the coaching staff, they create the perfect game plan for us to be ourselves, show our best qualities and express ourselves. So, yeah, it's up to me."

So how did Saka respond on the pitch? By breaking the deadlock in style, obviously. There was a hint of shin about the strike, but it doesn't matter as long as it ends up in the back of the net, and you'd hardly have believed England's No.7 had mishit it by the scything flight of the ball anyway.

In truth, only three outfield positions are locked down in Tuchel's side. Kane up front is one, Rice in midfield is another, and Saka wide right is the third.

The increased scrutiny placed on Bellingham and Foden has allowed Eze to go about his own business and carry on as if his place has never been in doubt. Though not always a starter for club and country, he's always viewed as an important piece of the puzzle.

Of all of Tuchel's five substitutes, Eze was the one who appeared fresh and ready to fight for his role, with Bellingham a close second in that regard. The Arsenal attacker now has three goals for the Three Lions, only one fewer than Foden's tally in 31 fewer appearances.

Eze's tested ability to change games from the bench makes him the ideal 'finisher' for Tuchel, who is increasingly wary that there are only eleven players he can pick to start each game. As humble as ever, Eze claimed he was still in the mix with his other team-mates and is yet to secure his spot at the World Cup, telling ITV: "There's a lot of talent in the team. You can see the players here and the types that aren't here as well. It's the type of competition you want to be up against and it is going to help the team for sure."

Eze made the most of his chance to impress Tuchel, but the man he replaced after 65 minutes, Marcus Rashford, didn't. It was a real shame for the Manchester United outcast, who has rediscovered his best version of himself on loan at Barcelona and if anything has added another layer to his game with his new-found penchant for assists.

Rashford long had the beating of diminutive Serbia right-back Ognjen Mimovic, though often let his marker get away with cheap fouls and lacked the end product to make this a one-sided pasting.

This may have been a goalless endeavour for Rashford, but he received some words of praise from one of his harshest critics. Roy Keane, on punditry duty for ITV, claimed the Barca forward should still be considered England's first choice in that position ahead of Anthony Gordon, who has regularly featured under Tuchel and has only missed this camp through injury.

Keane said: "If you're comparing the two of them, Rashford and Gordon at their very best, I'm going for Rashford. He can still frustrate you, of course, but he's a threat and when he’s on top form he is a handful. You wouldn't want to face him."

The saving grace for Rashford was he linked up well with Rice and debutant Nico O'Reilly down the left flank, so if Tuchel really is putting value in on-field relationships, this was not an entirely pointless evening for the winger. Speaking of O'Reilly...

England's newest international enjoyed a fine evening representing his country at this level for the first time. Serbia's best and most promising attacks came down the Three Lions' right-hand side, while the Man City academy graduate was a useful part of his team's build-up play and was involved in plenty of moves down the left.

O'Reilly was called into Tuchel's squad for the October camp following injury withdrawals, but this selection was entirely on merit. The 20-year-old has been in superb form for Pep Guardiola's Premier League title challengers, and now he has a decent shot at making the World Cup next summer.

Tuchel kept his praise short and sweet for O'Reilly: "He is a calm and shy person. He is very intelligent on the pitch and adapted well to the things we asked of him. Well done." The man himself wasn't fazed by what was expected of him: "It was a dream come true tonight, an honour to put on this shirt, play at Wembley in front of my family and the fans, surrounded by world class players. It was a great night... I expected the players to be world class, the manager knows what he wants and how to play. I’ve adapted well and quick to the system. I'm enjoying it."

It was probably a good thing that the only England defender who wasn't at any point chasing a shadow was the newbie who still isn't legally old enough to drink in the place where next summer's World Cup will occur, right?

Tuchel already warned Myles Lewis-Skelly last month that he will fall down the England pecking order if he didn't work his way back into Arsenal's starting lineup. Since then, he's played only three Premier League minutes and was dropped for the November camp.

O'Reilly immediately coming in and flourishing will surely only make it harder for Lewis-Skelly to win his place in the Three Lions fold back. He remains one of the country’s best young talents and if anything is being penalised for playing for the Premier League leaders who have an incredible array of defenders already. That's not Tuchel’s problem, though.

Talk of Lewis-Skelly leaving Arsenal is ridiculous and won't have even entered the youngster's thinking. His career will progress at his boyhood club, and if that means he misses out on a spot at the World Cup, then so be it. These are just the ebbs and flows for any athlete when in the heat of competition. His time will come, be it in 2026 or beyond.

England don't really have a John Terry or Rio Ferdinand anymore. In this new age of set-piece dominance, even a prime Harry Maguire wouldn't go amiss. There isn't a world-leading centre-back among Tuchel's options, rather an assorted platter of good-to-decent defenders.

John Stones, at last fit again after a hellish 2025, appears to be a shoo-in for the starting XI so long as he remains healthy, with the other spot going to one of Ezri Konsa or Marc Guehi. With the Crystal Palace defender suffering a foot injury on the eve of this camp, the Aston Villa star has taken the initiative.

England needed Konsa's pace to quell Serbia’s threat on the counter on Thursday. That characteristic alone should make the 28-year-old feel more at ease about his World Cup prospects - Three Lions defenders just aren't as quick as they were even a couple of years ago.

Ultimately, the biggest losers from Thursday’s game are Serbia, who were not only defeated on the night, but their already slim hopes of reaching the World Cup were dashed for good.

The visitors went into this round of qualifiers one point behind bitter rivals Albania, who occupied the play-off spot and were effectively guaranteed three points away at minnows Andorra. Serbia had to get at least a point from Wembley to stand any chance of qualification.

"It was a difficult match," said Tuchel. "It was complicated because they knew everything about us and we knew nothing about them. Go through the list of players, they are at top clubs, they play in top leagues. They have individual quality, they came with new energy and they made it a final for them."

Alas, despite a spirited second-half effort, they came up short, and Albania - England's hosts on Sunday - are safely through to the play-offs as they look to reach the World Cup for the first time in their history.