The Florida sun was beating down, the pitch was only laid last week, and Thomas Tuchel sent out two entirely different England teams in each half. In such conditions, the 1-0 victory over New Zealand felt less like a World Cup warm-up and more like a glorified training session.
Harry Kane’s glancing header in first-half injury time -- his 79th goal on his 113th cap -- was enough to separate the sides, but the performance left more questions than answers. New Zealand, ranked 85th by FIFA, are the lowest-ranked team at the World Cup and were battered 4-0 by Haiti days earlier. Yet England laboured in the 90-degree heat at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, where a beer cost nearly £14.
“England beat New Zealand 1-0 but laboured in 90-degree heat as Tuchel used 22 players in a disjointed warm-up.”
Tuchel used 22 different players in the match, the first time England have done so since June 2004. The first XI included Kane, Jordan Pickford, John Stones and Marc Guehi, while the second half saw a completely new outfield. “To put it in context, a lot of our players last played together in November,” said Tuchel. “That's half a year ago. We had four training sessions together, then mixed the team up completely.”
The second half belonged to Jude Bellingham, who came on and “stole the show” with his skill and vision. Tuchel even handed him the captain’s armband, a clear vote of confidence. On this evidence, Bellingham must start against Croatia on 17 June in Dallas. Yet the first half’s attacking midfielder was Morgan Rogers, a potential clue to Tuchel’s thinking.
Key Arsenal figures Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke were given an extra week off after the Champions League final and did not play. Their absence, combined with Tuchel’s experimental selections in recent friendlies -- including Phil Foden up front against Japan -- means the England boss has yet to field anything resembling a World Cup starting XI.
“The clock is ticking,” wrote Phil McNulty. With one final friendly against Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday, Tuchel must now wheel out the big guns. England’s World Cup opener against Croatia is just ten days away, and the time for experimentation is over.