England face Serbia in the first of two World Cup qualifiers in the November international break and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham is expected to start on the bench
Jude Bellingham has returned to the England squad after missing out in October but may still have to wait for a chance to impress Thomas Tuchel. Bellingham’s form for Real Madrid has seen Tuchel bring him back into the fold, but Morgan Rogers is set to get the nod in Thursday’s World Cup qualifier against Serbia.
Tuchel had earlier warned it won’t be possible for him to fit all three of Bellingham, Harry Kane and Phil Foden into his set-up. Those comments indicated he sees Bellingham as more of a No.10 than part of a midfield pivot.
For the visit of Serbia, though, Rogers is expected to fill that role. According to The Athletic, Aston Villa star Rogers will continue in the position he occupied for England’s last three games, including the friendly victory over Wales in which he scored his first senior international goal.
England have already booked their place at the 2026 World Cup after winning their first six qualifying games. They also have the chance to become the only nation in a five-team group to go through European qualifying without conceding a goal, though Spain and Switzerland have also yet to concede in their four-team groups.
After hosting Serbia at Wembley, England will close out their qualifying campaign away to Albania in Tirana. Albania sit one point ahead of Serbia in the race for second place in the group and a play-off berth.
READ MORE: Two England stars left out of squad to face Serbia by Thomas TuchelREAD MORE: Micah Richards makes Jude Bellingham stance clear after England make big call
Tuchel laid out the battle between Bellingham and Rogers before the Serbia game. He told reporters: “Rather than finding the best players a position to just have them on the field, it’s maybe better to put everyone in their best position and have a competition.
“At the moment, the competition is between the two of them. They are friends so it can also be a friendly competition. They don’t have to be enemies. They don’t have to hate each other.
“They are respectful. They are friends with each other and they fight at the moment for the same position. Can they play together? Yes, but in a different structure and at the moment it’s not the moment to change our structure.”
In previous international tournaments, England managers have faced clamour to shoehorn talented players into the line-up, sometimes without consideration for what it will do to the balance of the team. Tuchel is insistent he won’t do this, arguing the collective comes before any individuals.
“At the moment, if we keep the structure, they [Kane, Bellingham and Foden] cannot play [in the same XI],” he said. “We don’t like it, not because they don’t individually deserve it, but we will always do what’s best for the team, we will always do what’s best for winning.
“We will always do what’s best for balance and we will try to keep the clarity, even if means that we have to take tough decisions. We take tough decisions in any camp, and this will not change when we go to a tournament.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
