FIFA World Cup 2026: England Tournament Thread [R]

Quite interesting listening on TalkSPORT ( yeah I know but talking England so thought I’d have a listen ) and interesting seeing Craig Hope ( nearly fainted ) Henry Winter, Jim Proudfoot and Adrian Durham all saying Jude has to start ahead of Rogers and no surprises to hearing the one pundit saying it should be Rogers starting initially due to loyalty was Stuart Pearce!

 

They are

 

Hearing so many English retired ex-players recently say they would start Rogers ahead of Bellingham is so bizarre to me.

 

Probably on a similar level to the ones who say Tuchel was right to take Henderson ahead of Wharton and Scott. Heard that one quite a lot too when most non ex pros seem the opposite.

 

I think happens in every big football country to a degree.

 

I think the Bellingham-Rogers debate is a perfectly legitimate media thing because it's just a reaction to what Tuchel has been signalling for the last 12 months plus.

It's genuinely 50-50 regardless of what anyone thinks of their respective qualities. The one thing you can say about Tuchel is he doesn't really bluff and just as with Spence, Burn, Quansah et al, he is very attached to the idea of playing Rogers, and couldn't give a toss what anyone else would do.

 

I agree that over the last 12 months its been 50-50 between Rogers and Bellingham, but given the most recent signals from Tuchel, to me it seems like the scale has tipped in Bellinghams favour.

 

Just started to have this weird feeling Tuchel will bring on Henderson in a tight on-the-edge knockout match in extra time because of his experience and 'leadership skills' and entrusts him with one of the penalties because of all of his 'leadership skills'. Of course, like he has shown time and time again throughout his career, he'll butcher his penalty just like he did against Colombia but this time it's proven costly as he's the only taker from both sides who misses. After the match, Tuchel will say penalties are always 50/50 but Henderson set such a great standard in training as the true leader of this group that I thought he should take one of the penalties. Oh and without his calming influence on the game we could have already lost it in extra time so we shouldn't blame the loss on him!

Am I becoming paranoid? I hope I'm wrong but usually when a coach talks about leadership and experience over and over again it means they think these players should take responsibility in shootouts.

 

Yes, you are becoming paranoid. You are becoming Fireburn, with this type of thinking. But, it happens to all of us, in most cases just briefly, usually we wake up the next morning and have come to our senses. Ok, sometimes it may take two days. It's perfectly understandable, its the kind of thinking that comes from being an England fan, with all the trauma caused over the years.

But trust me, Henderson will not be taking a penalty in a shootout. Tuchel started him in some of the first qualifiers, saw what he could do. And never started him again. He is just there for morale and filling unimportant minutes. We all have to stay strong here. Don't lose it.

 

If he and/or Burn are walking up for a penalty they better score it or fans will never forgive them or Tuchel.

 

But penalty takers are often those who come off the bench. Only 2 of the 5 in 2021 and 2024 had started the match. Henderson obviously won’t start if Rice and Anderson are available but him coming on feels a distinct possibility.

 

"Thomas Tuchel has said he wants to give more minutes to certain players who need it"

Rob Dorsett on what the squad will look like for England's friendly against Costa Rica 📝 pic.twitter.com/pfND9on3At

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 8, 2026

 

Is Burn actually a decent penalty taker?
Sometimes I fancy a Dan Burn over a Rogers or Eze. Attackers don't always necessarily make good penalty takers.

 

the Rogers/Jude debate should also be based on the opposition, if anything, no?

counter point would be wanting or needing continuity in a tournament setting, however.

 

Yes, but I think that is mostly because you sub on some good shooters. Many teams do that. Of course in 2021 Southgate subbed on Rashford and Sancho in the 120th minute, which I think is an extremely risky strategy according to most penalty shootout textbooks, as your shooters needs to be at least somewhat aclamatized and integrated into the match. Trent was subbed on after 115 minutes, and that worked.

I don't think Hendersen will take one in a shootout, but I don't even think he will be even subbed on in such circumstances. But you never know, maybe he has been working for years with penalty shoot out psychologists and personal coaches. And he shoots a Maguire cracker.

 

I can't image Dan Burn is a good penalty taker. Eze should be well known as a poor taker. Rogers the same, maybe to a lesser degree, but he did miss one not long ago, and someone here mentioned how clearly he showed the keeper where he was going to shoot.

 

The Arsenal Champions League final shows that you can end up losing penalty takers to injury and fatigue over 120 minutes. We could also need to go beyond the top five. Hopefully Henderson doesn't end up on the pitch in a knockout unless we're 3 up.

I had a nightmare last night involving the undead but fortunately it wasn't football-related.

 

Can't forget Henderson's awful penalty against Colombia. The most undisguised penalty you'll ever see

 

Henderson and Burn are very unlikely to be taking pens, hopefully that eases peoples fears.

 

Yes, very important to plan beyond the first 5. Back in 96 against Germany, England had 5 great takers for the first, but then Southgate walked forward. A junior in the squad, a very strange choice. I think that was due to having no plan of what to do if it went beyond the first 5. And Southgate was just the one that said "Ok, I'll do it" first. I think Anderton, and even Tony Adams looked like better choices.

I really hope Tuchel is the type of manager that takes this very seriously. He seems to pay great attention to detail, and that should be a good start.

 

We can try, but I don't think it will work. England can be 3-0 up in a knockout, and people here will still be nervous about Henderson and Burn coming on and ruin everything.

 

Southgate learned from that and put a lot of emphasis on penalties throughout the England system. Shame he didn't also think of the need to give penalty takers time on the pitch in 21. The pressure is great enough already without taking a penalty being their first involvement. Ridiculous with hindsight and should have been obvious at the time.

That said as a 12 year old I spent ages trying to recreate an on target version of Waddle's 1990 moon rocket. There is nothing better than a top corner penalty but they're by far the easiest to miss the target with.

If we get to penalties it is very likely that Kane will be off the pitch. Toney could be on.

 

We've lost 2 good penalty takers from 2024. Trent and Palmer but we've still got toney saka and Bellingham. Also hopefully kane will still be on the pitch. Anderson and Gordon are good penalty takers too