England’s attacking options grow, but Spain will test Tuchel’s balance

England’s attacking options look stronger after a camp that produced 14 goals, three victories and opportunities for players outside Thomas Tuchel’s preferred starting side.

The harder question is how much of that attacking quality England can accommodate against opponents capable of making them defend for longer.

Tuesday’s 3-0 win over the Czech Republic offered encouragement. November’s return against Spain should provide a more demanding measure of the progress.

Rogers strengthens his case alongside Bellingham

Morgan Rogers does not have to compete exclusively for Jude Bellingham’s place.

Both started at Wembley, with Eberechi Eze also included behind Harry Kane. Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon were among the substitutes.

Rogers contributed directly to England’s second goal, meeting Elliot Anderson’s pass and supplying Kane. It was a useful example of what he can offer beyond receiving the ball centrally and carrying it towards defenders.

His movement gave Anderson a forward option and Kane a delivery inside the penalty area.

That matters when assessing England’s combinations. Picking several creative players is only useful if they offer different passing options rather than repeatedly arriving in the same space.

Tuesday provided a specific example of Rogers complementing the players around him. It strengthens the argument for considering him alongside Bellingham, although one successful combination does not settle the strongest XI.

Saka and Gordon remain part of the calculation

The changes against Czechia followed a 7-0 victory in Croatia in which Saka scored twice and Gordon also found the net.

Their claims hardly weakened because others took an opportunity three days later.

Tuchel therefore has a decision about the type of attack he wants, as well as the individuals within it.

Selecting more players who can combine in central areas may help England work through a crowded defence. Maintaining threats on the outside can stretch that defence and give Kane room to operate.

The balance can change with the opponent and the state of a match. There is little reason to treat every selection as a permanent verdict on those left out.

Midfield availability complicates the picture

This was also a camp shaped by absences.

Declan Rice and Cole Palmer withdrew before the fixtures began, while Alex Scott returned to Bournemouth before the final match.

The FA confirmed Scott’s withdrawal on Monday. His contribution against Croatia belongs in the assessment of England’s midfield options, but his availability for the next squad cannot be assumed.

As covered in our report on Scott’s injury, that progress has come with an immediate setback.

Any discussion about adding another attacking player must also account for the work behind them. England need midfielders who can receive under pressure, protect possession and cover the spaces left when team-mates advance.

The most productive attacking selection will not necessarily contain the greatest number of attacking players.

Spain will ask different questions

After Croatia, Tuchel highlighted more than the finishing.

“We stayed hungry, in our counter-pressing and defending and we got the basics right,” he told England’s official website.

Those qualities will be particularly relevant against Spain, who won the opening meeting 3-2 at Wembley.

The assessment in November should include how England respond when an attack breaks down: whether they can recover possession, prevent opponents playing through midfield and retain an outlet when forced back.

Three successive clean sheets are welcome evidence of improvement. They do not establish that every attacking combination will offer the same protection against Spain.

Tuchel leaves this camp with more players making credible cases for selection. His next task is to identify which combinations remain effective when England cannot dictate the game.

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