Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers and why England's bench of 'finishers' holds the key to World Cup success

No better was that on display in the Three Lions' win over Croatia than on the left-hand side of Tuchel's attack. The manager selected Anthony Gordon over Marcus Rashford, despite plenty of calls for the Manchester United man to start ahead of the player whom Barcelona have signed to replace him this summer.

Gordon did his job. He pressed well, made many a run in behind and offered plenty of threat. That he touched the ball just 17 times doesn't look great, but it also misses the point. Gordon doesn't have to be a lethal goal-scorer or relentless provider of opportunities. His impact off the ball is as important as what he can do in possession.

Rashford, too, is a good presser, a fine reader of space, and excellent at running in behind. He is not the same player as Gordon, but he serves a similar purpose - especially for this team. And after 72 minutes, when England needed fresh legs, Rashford came on. Thirteen minutes later, he found the back of the net to cap a lovely team move.

"Marcus is just pushing and pushing and pushing in training at the highest level," Tuchel told reporters. "I am very, very happy for him that he got his [goal] and I hope he stays hungry for the next one and the next one because he was absolutely impressive over the last 17 days and he really deserved his goal."

Tuchel has also made no secret of his admiration for Morgan Rogers. The Aston Villa man - who might soon move to a bigger club - is an immense talent. And even if Jude Bellingham is, indeed, a better pure footballer, Tuchel admitted that Rogers made a serious push to start on Wednesday.

"The tough, tough decision was to take to say to Morgan Rogers that he will not start, because he deserves 100 percent to start, and he has done so well for us," Tuchel said post-match in Dallas.

Rogers is, though, an excellent weapon off the bench, while there is an argument to suggest he and Bellingham could play together. As it was, Rogers was introduced around the 70-minute mark against Croatia and was a buzzing presence behind the England attack before making a vital decoy run in the build-up to England's decisive fourth goal.

There will be times, you'd imagine, when he is needed to step up in a more active role, and is certainly capable of doing so.

Elsewhere in Dallas, Djed Spence put in a fine shift at right-back in relief of Reece James, his attacking verve offering England an extra spark on the break, and had it not been for a fine piece of goalkeeping, the Tottenham defender might have got himself on the scoresheet.

The same was true of Bukayo Saka. When fully fit, he is, without doubt, among the best players England have. However, after an injury-hit season for Arsenal, Tuchel has elected to wrap the winger in cotton wool while he nurses an Achilles problem. Noni Madueke started against Croatia before Saka produced 20 good minutes, which included an assist for Rashford's goal.

“Bukayo is ready and will get more and more ready,” Tuchel said. “I think once we go to the last game of this group, he will be ready. He was strong in training on Tuesday in small spaces. It was just a matter of if the game was open and was up and down.”

For the biggest games, when difference-makers are needed from the get-go, Saka is a no-brainer to start. But during the groups, when the gap in quality between England and their opponents is greater, Tuchel can allow the winger to return to full fitness.

And then, there are those who are still to see the pitch. Ollie Watkins, who ended the season in such superb form for Aston Villa, did not make an appearance. Nor did Eberechi Eze, Arsenal's mercurial playmaker, or Kobbie Mainoo, who, based on Manchester United form alone, would be starting for most other teams at this tournament.

Seldom have England had this much depth. Many will remember dark days of 2018, when Sir Gareth Southgate looked at his bench against Croatia in the semi-final and saw Danny Welbeck and Fabian Delph as his options. That team basically had two viable attacking options off the bench in Rashford and Jamie Vardy. This squad, meanwhile, is laden with talent.

The flip side, of course, is that these are all really good footballers, used to playing regularly for their club sides, who want to make an impact at a World Cup. Tuchel even admitted that some, including Rashford, have already asked about why they aren't seeing regular minutes.

"Just yesterday, we had a conversation where I told him [Rashford] that I’m very, very impressed with his last 16 days, with how he was in camp, how he pushes on the pitch," Tuchel said following the Croatia win. "He’s totally involved in every meeting. He’s very, very fast in translating a meeting onto the pitch."

Indeed, of Tuchel's 26-man-squad, all but three - John Stones, Madueke and reserve goalkeeper James Trafford - were regular starters for their clubs last term. Watching from the sidelines isn't easy, but Tuchel has no doubt that his team can deal with it.

“It is now four more weeks and in four weeks you can swallow it and digest it and buy into it. We selected the group because we were sure that they could do it and they all can," he said after the game.

Some, of course, know they are not at the top of the pecking order. Jordan Henderson, for example, has been included as much for his experience and good humour as his ability at the age of 36. Ivan Toney has perhaps been primarily selected for his penalty-taking ability come the knockouts. If Dan Burn and Jarrell Quansah are playing, England have problems.

When Tuchel was asked as to who might start against Croatia, he claimed that he had "14 or 15 starters", all of whom could make an impact in some way.

And that feels about right. All teams at this World Cup are going to have to rotate due to the draining conditions and epic club seasons. It would be an immense surprise, then, to see Tuchel go with the same starting XI for up to eight games over the next four weeks.

The good news is that it is a luxury that England can afford. If Bellingham needs a rest, then how about Rogers? No need for Harry Kane in a dead-rubber third group game? Here's Watkins.

Whether it means making the difference late on, or protecting the legs of some of the main men, England have high-class options in reserve who could well prove key to them going all the way to the final on July 19.