Jamie Carragher has claimed that Thomas Tuchel will be regretting his decision not to include Cole Palmer in his England World Cup squad following Tuesday's 0-0 draw against Ghana.
Fresh off the back of a thumping 4-2 win over Croatia, the Three Lions were looking to beat the Black Stars and secure their spot in the Round of 32 as Group L winners. But England struggled to break down a compact and resolute Ghana defence, who for the most part stood firm in a 4-1-4-1 formation and limited Tuchel's side to few clear-cut opportunities.
While the Three Lions had 19 shots, just three of them were on target. Their best chance didn't arrive until near the end, as Nico O'Reilly's header hit the bar before Harry Kane smashed the rebound over.
Tuchel's Selection Under Scrutiny
Unsurprisingly, the post-match reaction centred around Tuchel's decision to omit several big-name creative players from the 26-man squad, with Chelsea's Palmer among those left out. And ex-Liverpool and England defender Carragher believes Tuchel may now think that was a mistake.
Speaking at half-time, Carragher told The Telegraph: "When (Jude) Bellingham and (Declan) Rice play between the lines against a defence set-up like this, you either need a bit of magic from them outside the box, or the wingers to deliver far more than they are currently doing. That's England's problem here. The longer this goes on, the more we must look to the bench and ask who can come on and make a difference?"
Rice and Bellingham are all about power and energy; they aren't magicians in the spaces between the lines. If this continues, the debate will start regarding Cole Palmer's absence. We've seen so many games like this in major tournaments.
A Reality Check for England
Although the point leaves England top of the group ahead of Saturday's clash against Panama, Carragher feels Tuchel and his players have been handed a huge reality check. He said: "Back down to earth for England. It's a disappointing performance, but the bigger picture is that the two most difficult games are out of the way. It's actually a decent point because Ghana were unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty. With Panama to come, England are 99 percent certain to win the group."
Those who championed Palmer's inclusion foresaw tactical conundrums like this – which is why some of us thought it better to have him as an option.
