Thomas Tuchel came away from England's 2-4 win over Croatia with more than three points to think about. Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford both made strong cases off the bench, and Tuchel said Saka is still working through the after-effects of an Achilles injury but should be ready by the last group game.

How the substitutes changed the picture

England scored four times in the opener at Dallas Stadium, and the last of those goals summed up why Tuchel sounded so keen on his bench afterwards. He said Saka and Rashford combined for England's fourth goal, with Rashford converting the move to make sure of victory in Arlington, Texas.

The numbers back up the impression from the second half. Saka posted a 7 rating in 22 minutes off the bench, while Rashford scored 1 in 22 minutes as a substitute. Jude Bellingham also scored 1, so the opening match gave Tuchel a lot of evidence that the attack can change shape without losing threat.

Tuchel's own words were hard to miss. "The time will come when they start," he said, after describing the way the substitutes were competing at the highest level in training and in the match itself. That is a direct message to the squad, not just to Saka and Rashford.

Why Saka's fitness still matters

Tuchel was careful not to overstate Saka's condition. "Bukayo is ready and will get more and more ready," he said, adding that he thinks Saka will be ready once England reach the last game of the group. He also said Saka was strong in training yesterday in small spaces.

The key detail is the injury background. Saka is still carrying the after-effects of an Achilles injury suffered in the backend of the season, so the decision is not only about form. It is also about how much load England want to ask him to handle before the games start to tighten up.

That leaves Tuchel with a fairly straightforward problem for Ghana: his bench players have pushed themselves into the conversation, and Saka has shown enough to suggest a start is coming soon. The coach did not promise anything, but he made clear that the competition for places is now real.

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