'Saka cements place alongside Kane as Tuchel's trusted lieutenants'

When Thomas Tuchel introduced a selection of substitutes that was a graphic illustration of the formidable strength in depth at England's disposal, one crucial component of his World Cup plans remained untouched.

Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Eberechi Eze were brought on as head coach Tuchel's "finishers" after 65 minutes, helping to secure the victory against Serbia that maintained England's unblemished seven-match winning run in their qualification campaign.

Eze duly obliged with a spectacular strike to confirm the 2-0 win - but it was Arsenal team-mate Bukayo Saka who stayed the course for the whole game, once more demonstrating how vital he will be to England's World Cup ambitions with a spectacular opening goal to set them on their way.

At a time when, with England's World Cup place assured, scrutiny is on the battle between Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers and Real Madrid superstar Bellingham for the number 10 role - and whether Manchester City's Foden can find a way into the team - Tuchel has no such worries about 24-year-old Saka.

Saka's goal was his 14th for England in 47 appearances since making his debut in October 2020. He is Arsenal's record England goalscorer after overtaking Cliff Bastin with his goal against Wales in October.

Only injury can prevent him starting England's first World Cup match, a game-changing influence Tuchel can count on, a player proven at the highest levels for club and country.

He can take his place alongside Harry Kane as one of Tuchel's tried and trusted lieutenants when the World Cup quest starts next summer.

Kane's own current hunger was exemplified in one second-half moment when, after spending time dropping deep, he appeared on the edge of England's penalty area to regain possession with a crunching tackle.

He is England's talisman with 76 goals in 111, but it was another plus for Tuchel that goals - classy ones at that - came from elsewhere in the shape of Saka and Eze.

England's game against Serbia may not have carried any significance in the qualifying context, but the stakes are sky-high for players with sights set on a starting place.

And that is why those like Bellingham, Foden and Eze were determined to use those 25 minutes to state their case to Tuchel, which they did.

Tuchel said: "We had good impact from bench straight away. We brought on quality players and they wanted to show what they could do. They created chances, half chances and scored in the end. You could see the impact and it has to stay like this."

He added: "It is not about building starting eleven. It is about building a team and they buy into it. Put ego behind them because it is the right thing to do for the team."

England's main questions surround the left-back spot, central defence, that vexed number 10, and the left side of England's attack.

Here, with Serbia game but limited, there was food for thought for Tuchel, but also a show of the power that makes him so confident England can make a major impact as they seek their first major men's trophy since the 1966 World Cup.

Tuchel, big on loyalty and reward for performances, resisted the temptation to instantly restore Bellingham to the side, keeping faith with Rogers after his impressive work in his absence.

It was the right decision, which Rogers repaid with an energetic display containing some neat touches, including almost setting up a second-half goal for Marcus Rashford.

Bellingham was left kicking his heels for 65 minutes, until he was introduced to a huge roar from England's fans.

It was clear he was eager to make an impact, too eager with one shot that flew wildly off target, but he had his moment in the final minute when he linked with Foden to play in Eze for a curling finish beyond Serbia keeper Predrag Rajkovic.

No arguments were settled about the Rogers-Bellingham conundrum on this night, other than to confirm the childhood friends from the Midlands are giving Tuchel the most pleasant of selection headaches.

The betting would still be on Bellingham starting the World Cup, but Rogers has made his mark. Bellingham is likely to start against Albania in Tirana, so it is now over to him.

Manchester City's Foden is an outsider to force his way into that discussion, but there is no doubt he made a big impression on Tuchel with a lively 25-minute cameo, forcing his way through dangerous central areas, where the head coach wants him, creating several moments of danger as well as setting up Eze's goal.

Kane is, understandably, an immovable object as England's spearhead, but Foden is clearly in Tuchel's thinking as he said: "He was excellent. You can see he is full of confidence. He showed it.

"I like to have him in centre of pitch in close connection with other players. He did well. It is a big ask to challenge Harry at the moment. He is in the shape of his life. But to be an accomplice and share some minutes, then he is an option.

"You can see he is full of confidence. You can see it in the first minutes when you meet him. You feel he is light and he is smiling. His movements are a joy to watch, you can see he is competitive."

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, yet to concede a goal in World Cup qualifying and with a record 10th successive clean sheet, also echoed the benefits of Tuchel's squad strength.

He said: "It just gives us variety, and everyone knows how great Harry is at coming down low to get the ball and start spraying balls. Phil Foden comes on and nearly gets two goals. It's great to have those options going forward.

"We have got the depth as team England. You have to be playing well and Jude is playing well at his club. It's his first camp since the summer. He has come on tonight and made a massive impact.

"You have to give that credit to Morgan, he has come in the last few games and stepped up. The manager has put the trust in him even though we have someone like Jude and Phil on the bench. We have a lot of options. It's about being team England sticking together moving forward."

Foden's Manchester City team-mate Nico O'Reilly made an accomplished senior debut at left-back, a position still up for grabs, while Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa grows in stature with every game, a genuine contender for a place in central defence with John Stones and Marc Guehi.

Rashford faces competition on the left flank, especially from Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon, missing here with a hip injury, as well as Arsenal's Noni Madueke when he is fit again, but his renaissance at Barcelona has put him back in the frame.

He had moments at Wembley, especially with some superb sleight of foot, but both he and Tuchel would have wished for better end product. He still has work to do to keep rivals at bay.

The scenery for England's World Cup auditions now shifts to Tirana against Albania on Sunday - with it all still to play for in the battle for places.