Tuchel says he’ll be ‘brave’ enough to omit big names if it’s right for England

Thomas Tuchel has insisted he is brave enough to omit star names from his England XI if it better balanced the team. The head coach can feel competition for places has increased after the 5-0 World Cup qualifying win over Serbia in Belgrade on Tuesday – especially in the No 10 role.

Tuchel watched Morgan Rogers produce an outstanding performance in the position, the Aston Villa player’s best moment being the first-time flick that sent Noni Madueke through to score the second goal. Roy Keane, who covered the game for ITV, compared Rogers to Paul Gascoigne in terms of the X factor he provides.

Tuchel had brought Rogers into the lineup at the expense of Eberechi Eze, who was the No 10 in the 2-0 home win over Andorra on Saturday. Tuchel, who named a slimmed-down 24-man squad for the fixtures, had Morgan Gibbs-White on the bench. Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, the bigger-name options for the role, missed out because of fitness issues.

“I am always brave – you know that,” Tuchel said, when asked about the possibility of having to drop an A-lister. “We took some brave decisions already. We nominated a squad of only 21 [outfield players] to keep the competition going.

“The competition for places is on – if you are in camp, you are in your best behaviour, your best shape, best form and you make the best of it. It’s a privilege to be in camp and then fight for your place … if you can help everyone to be better and to grow. This is what we did.”

Morgan Rogers staked a claim to the No 10 role for England with an outstanding display in the win over Serbia. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

England took a major step towards automatic qualification for the World Cup with the victory in Belgrade, and Tuchel also outlined the sense that his squad would not be reliant on one or two stellar talents – as England have been in the past. Everybody can remember the panic that gripped, for example, when David Beckham and Wayne Rooney became injury doubts on the eve of tournaments.

“If a big player misses out on a tournament, we need to have solutions; if he misses a camp, we need to have solutions,” Tuchel said. “We have to focus on the guys who are available and who are ready to be the best versions of themselves and the best teammate possible.

“This is a team sport and it was teamwork in its purest form against Serbia. The players have the quality to play for us and the hunger to play and everyone gets his chance.”