England showed little mercy as they tore Wales apart in a 3-0 friendly win at Wembley on Thursday. The Three Lions destroyed Craig Bellamy's side in a frantic opening 20 minutes which all but put an end to any hope of the visitors securing an unlikely upset between World Cup qualifiers, even despite the hosts leaving some key players on the bench and out of the squad completely.
A fine evening for England saw Morgan Rogers break the deadlock inside the opening two minutes, taking advantage of a Wales defence that switched off after Marc Guehi kept a loose corner alive, with the Aston Villa man rolling his effort past a helpless Karl Darlow between the sticks.
Before too long, it was 2-0. Rogers and Guehi were both involved again, with the former's speculative cross flicked on by the latter and into Ollie Watkins, who was waiting at the far post to convert and had time to take a couple of touches, such were Wales' horrendous defensive instincts.
Home supporters were soon cheering and revelling in their rivals' misery again soon after when Bukayo Saka found the top corner with an outrageous strike from the edge of the box, and though England could have had five or six on the night, that proved to be the end of their scoring, much to the relief of Craig Bellamy and his men.
GOAL breaks down England's winners and losers from Wembley…
Getty Images SportWINNER: Thomas Tuchel
OK, it's too soon for Thomas Tuchel to start doing victory laps as England boss – and knowing his career to date, he won't – but this was another statement of intent from a manager who will take the full brunt of criticism at the first possible opportunity when he's in this job.
The English public have long been demanding their team to play fast, energetic football. They have always wanted to see them take the game to whoever the opposition may be. On Thursday, the Three Lions were so rampant in this regard that if anything, they killed the excitement of the game – it was the first time they had scored three goals inside the first 20 minutes since November 1987 against Yugoslavia, who at that point were still five years away from splitting.
Tuchel's mission to build on the club-style feel of the England camp led him to making only one change from the September squad to this one, with the injured Noni Madueke making way for club team-mate Saka. The connections and partnerships all over the Wembley pitch were clear to see here, with the hosts quicker, stronger and smarter than Wales in every department, irrespective of the gap in technical quality.
Despite the win, Tuchel has still managed to make a rod for his own back by criticising the home crowd in a post-match interview with , claiming his players didn't receive the support they deserved and bemoaning how quickly the stadium emptied during a pedestrian second half. He'll soon come to learn that England matches at Wembley will never see a rip-roaring atmosphere, with the demographic of those who follow them abroad and to major tournaments being far more boisterous.
AdvertisementAFPLOSER: Jude Bellingham
When the England squad was announced last Friday, the most startling omission was that of Jude Bellingham, who has returned to action with Real Madrid after a two-month layoff following shoulder surgery. This was initially put down to the midfielder receiving only a smattering of minutes since taking to the pitch again, but Tuchel was blunt with his principles of team-building before Thursday's visit of Wales.
"We are not collecting the most talented players, we are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else," the German said. "That's how it is in international football. But the thing you are playing [back to me] is not what I am saying. You are playing the game that says: 'He [Tuchel] is saying the others who aren't in the team, you cannot build a team with them'. It's not like this. We built a team with the players who were available and they did so well so we go again with them. Nobody said we can't do the same with them. Or even better, or maybe the same level, with the others.
"For this moment we stick with our choice and the radical statement is that we don't collect the most talented players. We collect the guys who have the glue and cohesion to be the best team. Because we need to arrive as the best team. We will arrive as underdogs at the World Cup because we haven't won it for decades and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time. So we have to arrive as a team or we will have no chance."
The door is open for those who missed out on this camp to return in the future, but time is already running out for them to make an impression, with only two more international windows coming before the end of the club season. Bellingham is the headline loser, but the likes of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden should also be concerned of how they fit into this team.
Getty Images SportWINNER: Bukayo Saka
One man whose place in the England fold isn't in doubt is Saka, whose super strike rounded off the scoring on Thursday. It was trademark from the Arsenal winger, coming inside onto his left foot and letting fly a la peak Arjen Robben. This also made him the highest-scoring Gunner in the history of the men's national team, with his 13 strikes now the number to beat.
Since breaking into the Three Lions side at Euro 2020, Saka has consistently proven one of the team's most reliable performers. It's to his credit that his England naysayers barely get a chance to voice that opinion before he shuts their mouths again, usually in the most emphatic of ways. After Harry Kane, he's probably the outfielder who's most likely to definitely start for England when fit, on par with vice-captain Declan Rice.
Saka also welcomed Tuchel's message from the top that he will pick players to form the best team, rather than 'collecting the most talented players'. "What he's setting is very healthy competition, it's fair," Saka told . "Everywhere I look I see quality, whether it's in my position or in other positions, whoever it is we have to perform. When you have the shirt, you have to perform whether you're starting or coming in. At the end of the day we're all doing our best so England can win, that's what it's about."
AFPWINNER: Morgan Rogers
For whatever reason, Rogers hasn't found his best form for Aston Villa this season. Then again, nor has anyone else in Unai Emery's squad, so that suggests the problem lies within the walls of Villa Park. Rogers' superb showings in an England shirt only add to that theory.
The attacking midfielder has quickly become one of Tuchel's 'dependables', and if anything he is the one player most likely to prevent Bellingham from winning his place back as a starter. There isn't any need to drop Rogers at the moment, even despite his indifferent performances at club level. Some players are just better suited to the international game.
A maiden goal for England set the 23-year-old and his team-mates on their way. With Wales' defenders sleeping from a corner, Rogers peeled away from centre-back Joe Rodon into a pocket of space inside the 18-yard box, affording him ample room to sweep a low shot into the net.
Speaking to , Rogers said of his first international goal: "It's a proud moment to do it at home in a home nation derby. A dream come true. The quality of players we have with people here and not here, you can never be too comfortable, or else people will take your role."