Tuchel: Rodgers and Bellingham can play together if needed

Ahead of England's World Cup opener, Tuchel faces a choice between Bellingham and Morgan Rogers.

Tuchel had previously shocked outsiders by omitting several well-known English attacking midfielders from the squad. But will the Three Lions manager continue to exclude one of the most famous among them from his first World Cup starting lineup?

Aside from the left-wing position, Tuchel's biggest challenge is likely to be choosing between Real Madrid's Bellingham and Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers.

Bellingham is still only 22, but he is already widely regarded as one of the best players in world football.

However, Tuchel has repeatedly emphasized that he wants England to stop just assembling the most talented players into a starting lineup, and instead build the smoothest-functioning team.

No longer will Foden be forced onto the left wing just to get him into the squad. If there's no space in his true position, he won't start. The same goes for Palmer and Gibbs-White.

Tuchel likes how England plays with Morgan Rogers as the number 10. That's why the 23-year-old Rogers has started 12 of the 13 games under the German coach for the Three Lions, including all eight World Cup qualifiers.

Bellingham has only started four of those games, partly due to injuries, but also due to Tuchel's personal choices.

However, in the officially announced squad list, Bellingham was given the number 10 shirt.

England will play a friendly against Costa Rica on Wednesday night, which talkSPORT will broadcast live. When asked about Rogers and Bellingham before the match, Tuchel, as always, did not reveal much.

Tuchel said: "Morgan plays a bit more directly than Bellingham, but they are both very good players."

"Morgan is a key player for Aston Villa, he's won a European competition, and I think he's played 5,000 minutes. He's a real machine, always available, and getting better and better."

"We could feel in the days before the training camp that Morgan needed a little time to restart, but in the last two training sessions, he has been getting better and better. Bellingham has been training happily since his injury comeback, and he's playing happily too. He's just happy to be back on the pitch, which is not surprising."

"This is actually something we can use, because he hasn't played much and has just come back from injury, so he is in a very good place right now."

"They bring very different things to the team, but both bring a lot of quality and physicality, and they can also play together."

"It's also good to have one of them finish the game when it heats up and opponents start to tire. Having these types of players and other substitutes come off the bench could be a big weapon for us throughout the tournament."

So, who will get the starting spot in the World Cup opener against Croatia on June 17th? talkSPORT commentators tried to answer this tough question for Tuchel.

A former Crystal Palace owner said: "By any standard, or any rational standard, Bellingham should be in the starting lineup."

"Because he's a world-class player. We probably have three or four such players in our squad."

"And he is one of them."

An Aston Villa legend said: "If it were me, Bellingham would start."

"Listen, I really like Rogers, and as the tournament progresses, he will become an increasingly impactful player."

"I think you could also play Rogers on the left. But I think Rashford will be there."

A former England international said: "I can somewhat understand this from the coach's perspective."

"Sometimes you look back and say, okay, which players have played very well for me in the past calendar year? I think the answer leans more towards Rogers than Bellingham."

"I think Bellingham has enough games and time to win his place back."

"I think Rogers will start because the coach will maintain his trust in him."

"In terms of his performance this calendar year, I think he's one of England's most outstanding players. Of course, I should also add that his form at the end of the season wasn't as strong as it was for the previous three-quarters of the season."

"But I think sometimes as coaches, we have an inner sense of trust: you've done exceptionally well for me, this shirt is yours."

"But you also know very well that for those players who haven't been selected, you also have to communicate well with them to keep them on your side and ensure they stay positive."

"You also know very well that if Rogers starts the first game, Bellingham will likely overtake him as the tournament progresses."

A former Premier League defender said: "If we are to win the World Cup, I think there are two players, maybe three, because I would include Pickford, who must perform exceptionally well."

"So it's Pickford, Harry Kane, and Bellingham. I think Bellingham is a truly world-class player."

"But given that Tuchel really likes how Rogers plays, I would have no problem if Bellingham was on the bench and Rogers started the first game against Croatia."

"Of course, you can argue, and outsiders will argue, that Rogers' form might have dipped a bit in recent months."

"In the game against New Zealand, Bellingham's second-half performance might have been better than Rogers' first half."

"But then again, I wouldn't read too much into that one game's performance. I think Tuchel knows his starting XI."

The former Premier League defender's prediction might come true, as Tuchel hinted that the responsibilities of the number 10 position could change as England's schedule progresses.

Tuchel also told talkSPORT that Eze should not be ruled out either. He said: "This is a long tournament. It's one more game, and it's hot and humid."

"Perhaps we also have to deal with high altitude, and hopefully we can get into those stages where we might play 120 minutes. We need to think about which lineup should finish the game, which lineup can close out the game, which substitutes can cause problems, and completely accept all our decisions."

"The players know this. There won't be any big issues within the squad."

"Of course, I know we have a lot of quality players in some positions. Don't forget, we also have Eze at number 10. He often plays as a right-sided number 10 at Arsenal. We have big names, strong personalities, and we need these."

A former Premier League midfielder said: "This is a really difficult choice. It's a good problem to have. I really like Rogers, and despite a dip at the end of the season, he's had a great season."

"Tuchel obviously likes him too. He's delivered performances for England."

"But that's Bellingham. He's a global superstar. If it were a World Cup final, I'd pick Bellingham."

"As for the first game, I think Tuchel will choose Rogers against Croatia."