Tuchel faces dilemmas over returning Saka and Bellingham

On Friday, Thomas Tuchel will announce his most recent England squad, which could prove to be his toughest decisions to date since taking over.

Under his leadership, the Three Lions defeated Serbia 5-0 away from home last time out in Belgrade, which was their best effort by a small margin.

Tuchel had stated that he believed his team was heading in the right direction, and his assertion was proven to be accurate.

Due to his recovery from shoulder surgery, Jude Bellingham did not play in the final England international team.

The 22-year-old is arguably England’s best player, and his success will likely depend on how well he plays.

Tuchel and Bellingham might also experience a slightly awkward reunion for this camp.

The England manager apologized for the midfielder’s “repulsive” behavior, saying that he had spoken to the Real Madrid player at the time and that he had spoken to him at the time.

What Tuchel does matters in the big way between the away World Cup qualifier against Latvia on Tuesday and the friendly against Wales on Thursday.

In his four years in charge, Tuchel has played the midfielder Morgan Rogers in a variety of positions, including a deeper midfield position, a right-wing striker against Senegal, and also in his preferred number 10 position.

Rogers scored Noni Madueke’s goal with a strong assist in the 5-0 win last month.

Although Bellingham and Rogers get along well, neither of their three-man midfield positions are as advanced as they would like.

Rogers has the ability to play both on the right and left wing, but he might not have the luck to leave because Marcus Rashford is preferred by Tuchel and Bukayo Saka occupies the right.

Real Madrid has only started one start since Bellingham’s injury return, so Tuchel may choose to play the other half for this international break.

With only three international breaks left before the World Cup begins, he will want to start developing what he thinks is his best XI.

Madueke and Saka, two Arsenal teammates, also have a similar call to make on the right wing.

During Tuchel’s time as England manager, Madueke was one of the standouts.

He must contend with being in the backseat of Saka in the pecking order, just like at Arsenal.

Saka has only managed one game for Tuchel since taking over as England manager due to hamstring issues and fitness. The defeat to Senegal in June was the only game that Saka has managed.

The 24-year-old recently made a return for Arsenal and scored in their 2-0 victory over Olympiacos on Wednesday.

With his 12 goals for England, Saka would surpass Rashford and Harry Kane in scoring, third overall.

For a while, England’s left-back position has been a problem.

Myles Lewis-Skelly was not included in the Arsenal full-back for the impressive win over Serbia, despite Tuchel having played him in three of the five World Cup qualifiers.

Riccardo Calafiori made the left-back position his own, keeping that fact in mind as Lewis-Skelly hadn’t played for Arsenal this season for the previous 90 minutes.

With his versatility and physicality, Tino Livramento, who excelled in Belgrade, seemed like a great choice to play for Tuchel in that capacity for the long run.

The Newcastle defender has been out for up to eight weeks because of a knee injury he picked up in the defeat by Arsenal on Sunday.

Tyrick Mitchell, the defender for Crystal Palace, might be a good choice. The defender, who hasn’t played for England since March 2022, is a crucial member of the Eagles’ unbeaten side.

Mitchell’s defensive prowess are unquestionable, but Tuchel might have missed out on one of the possible causes of his defensive prowess due to the alleged questions surrounding his attacking prowess.

However, in Oliver Glasner’s 3-42-1 system, Mitchell now plays as a wing-back and plays as one of Palace’s attacking outlets.