Bellingham's Quiet Game Masks England's Real Attacking Threats Against Costa Rica

Thomas Tuchel had billed it as "interesting" – the first time Bellingham would operate alongside Rice, Anderson and Kane in the same team. What emerged, however, was something far less conclusive than that tantalising prospect suggested.

The Real Madrid midfielder's display against Costa Rica was, in the truest sense, unremarkable. Neither disaster nor masterclass, it represented exactly what you'd expect from a footballer simply going through the motions in a dead-rubber fixture. Early on, he curled an effort just wide after a neat feint on the edge of the box. Later, he threaded a superb through-ball for Noni Madueke that the winger somehow contrived to spoon onto the post. The second-half penalty-winning run? Genuinely brilliant, though hardly the definitive audition for the starting berth some were desperate to claim it represented.

The commentary box betrayed the uncertainty surrounding his contribution. One analyst waxed lyrical about his pressing and intensity; another observed, rather pointedly, that little of note had materialised. Both assessments held water. Bellingham was fine. England were fine. But fine rarely settles arguments.

Perhaps that's precisely the point. The relentless speculation about whether Bellingham or Morgan Rogers would claim the No. 10 slot may ultimately prove irrelevant to England's World Cup trajectory, at least in the group stages. That's not to diminish either player – both possess genuine quality. But the match itself illuminated something more important: England's likeliest routes to the net.

The wide corridors proved genuinely threatening. Anthony Gordon's willingness to take on Shawn Johnson down the left repeatedly yielded dividends, setting up Declan Rice for the opening goal and earning a penalty he dispatched with clinical precision into the top corner. Noni Madueke operated with similar intent on the opposite flank, though without quite the same cutting edge.

Set pieces, too, emerged as a clear avenue. Rice's delivery from free-kicks created genuine peril, with Harry Kane drawing a fine save from one and heading another deep cross back across the six-yard box where teammates lurked menacingly. Tuchel has long maintained that dead-ball situations could prove decisive at tournament level, and the evidence here suggested England possess the personnel and organisation to exploit them ruthlessly.

Morgan Rogers' substitute appearance proved instructive. He squandered one genuine opportunity, though his presence in the box did result in the third goal when his shot was parried into Ollie Watkins' path. Whether that registers as encouraging or frustrating likely depends on which side of the Bellingham-Rogers fence supporters occupy.

Costa Rica offered precious little resistance beyond the occasional late challenge, which Roy Keane astutely noted served as a useful physical examination for Tuchel's squad. With Croatia looming and the group stage awaiting, England's identity appears increasingly clear: operate high and wide, exploit the flanks with running attackers, and weaponise their set-piece prowess.

The debate over England's No. 10 will doubtless persist through the week ahead and beyond. But the very fact it remains so finely balanced suggests it may not matter terribly much. Both Bellingham and Rogers possess the quality to function adequately in a system that seems unlikely to hinge entirely on one man's creativity. England's real strengths lie elsewhere – in their width, their organisation, and their ability to create chaos in opposition penalty areas when the ball is dead.

That may not capture headlines quite like another chapter in the Bellingham saga, but it's far more instructive for what lies ahead.