What we learned from England's 3-0 win against Costa Rica

England concluded their World Cup preparations with a comfortable 3-0 win over Costa Rica on Wednesday.

Preparations were impeded by an hour-long delay to the game owing to severe rain, and while the game isn't much more than a warm-up before the real action begins next Wednesday, Thomas Tuchel will have been contented by what he saw.

Anthony Gordon shone down the left flank laying on the assist for Declan Rice's opener and scoring the second from the spot, with Jude Bellingham showing flashes of his quality having been given a starting berth, while Tuchel's subs all made their presence felt, as Ollie Watkins added a third.

Here are three things we learned from the Three Lions' win over Costa Rica.

Jude Bellingham must start for England

It's a testament to Morgan Rogers' form for Aston Villa, as well as a sign of how dysfunctional Real Madrid have been over the last 12 months, that it's even a debate, but Jude Bellingham must be England's starting number 10.

Bellingham has pace, strength, movement, technique, guile, composure, and can take any game by the scruff of the neck. As a number 10, he's the envy of every manager in world football, and his box-crashing instincts make him a genuine goal threat.

The Real Madrid man experienced something of a down season at Real Madrid last term, but that was more a reflection of his injury issues and Los Blancos' inconsistency, with Bellingham having to deputise in a number of roles.

We only saw flashes of what Bellingham can do against Costa Rica, with the 22-year-old keeping himself in second gear ahead of the World Cup.

Rogers is an excellent backup number 10, but Thomas Tuchel has one of the best players in the world at his disposal, and he must be used accordingly.

Thomas Tuchel needs to rotate early

A couple of pre-World Cup friendlies gave Thomas Tuchel the chance to assess his squad on the eve of the tournament, providing a final opportunity to make his mind up on those spots still up for grabs in his best XI.

But we shouldn't see Tuchel's best XI until the round of 32 at the earliest. Croatia will provide the stiffest test in England's group, and there's little reason to start Bukayo Saka with the direct Noni Madueke a more than capable deputy.

From there, England have the more straightforward tests against Ghana and Panama, when Tuchel will have the opportunity to rest the likes of Harry Kane, Reece James, Declan Rice and Marc Guehi, all of whom will be needed to start every knockout game once the tournament really kicks into gear.

There's a slight gamble in not winning the group likely setting up a round of 16 clash with Spain, but that would be indoors, as would a potential quarter-final with Belgium, and the forecast games against Mexico at the Azteca and Brazil in Miami are no walkovers as a reward for winning the group. Tuchel's priority must be to keep his side fresh for the business end of the tournament.

We've seen first-hand how the conditions will disrupt this World Cup, if not through cooling breaks then through match-delaying thunderstorms. One of Tuchel's biggest challenges will be rotating his squad and recognising that, in an eight-game World Cup, there are no prizes to be won in the group stage.

England's multi-dimensional attack can win the World Cup

There were plenty of eyebrows raised at some of Tuchel's omissions from his World Cup squad. The German has never been a fan of the outstanding Trent Alexander-Arnold, and he's never seemed to really value Adam Wharton's immaculate and adventurous passing. Levi Colwill's exclusion was understandable given his long-term injury, but it's left the Three Lions with a lack of passers in their build-up play.

On the other hand, their attacking options are about as bountiful as anyone else in North America. Saka's defensive industry will be key in the latter stages, while the blistering pace and directness of Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford and Noni Madueke will scare any defence.

In the number 10 role, there's the agile and tricky Morgan Rogers, who should link up well with Harry Kane or Aston Villa team mate Ollie Watkins, vying for a spot with one of the world's best footballers in Jude Bellingham.

Whatever the questions are this summer, Tuchel has the answers at his disposal.