Tuchel reveals 'finisher' strategy after Rashford and Saka seal England's 4-2 win over Croatia

Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka came off the bench to seal England’s 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas, and Thomas Tuchel has confirmed the substitution strategy was entirely deliberate — and will be repeated throughout the World Cup.

Both wingers were named among the replacements for England’s Group Stage opener, with Noni Madueke and Anthony Gordon starting in their positions. When Rashford and Saka were introduced, they transformed the game: Rashford scored a late goal, Saka provided the assist, and fellow substitutes Morgan Rogers and Djed Spence were also involved in the build-up.

Tuchel has drawn a direct parallel with rugby’s ‘finisher’ concept, where high-impact replacements are sent on late to overwhelm a tiring opponent. He believes England’s squad depth makes the approach not just viable but genuinely threatening.

“We are so strong from the bench,” Tuchel said. “I was so impressed with everyone in the friendly against Costa Rica because they pushed on the buttons and kept suffocating the opponent. We needed this quality against Croatia to bring it over the line.”

The England manager acknowledged the difficulty of the selection decisions, particularly given the quality of those asked to start from the bench. Madueke won a first-half penalty and was one of England’s more effective players in the opening stages, while Gordon offered defensive solidity. Whether either would have the same impact arriving late from the bench, rather than setting the tempo from the start, remains an open question.

Tuchel, however, is confident his players will accept their roles. “Everyone is on but on in such a respectful way,” he said. “They know we will need them and the time will come when the others will start. The time will come when they can finish and be decisive from the bench at any time. It is now four more weeks and in four weeks you can swallow it and digest it and buy into it.”

The manager added that the level of competition in training during the week before the Croatia game had been exceptional, with 10-versus-10 sessions pushing every player to make their case. “We had some tough decisions to make but they know we will need them,” he said.

With England now one win into a tournament that runs for another month, Tuchel’s squad management will be one of the defining storylines — and, on the opening night’s evidence, one of his most potent weapons.