Machine Football's cohesion data reveals that England's team chemistry under Thomas Tuchel has been lacking, with particular issues on the flanks and in central partnerships. The data, which measures the impact of player interactions compared to all other connections among tournament teams, highlights the challenges facing the Three Lions ahead of their World Cup round of 16 clash against Mexico.
Problems Out Wide
Tuchel has frequently changed full-backs and wing-backs, starting eight different players across the four positions. This has been exacerbated by Reece James's injury issues. The England manager was seen berating Djed Spence against DR Congo and has expressed frustration about maintaining cohesive units on the flanks.
Speaking after a 0-0 draw against Ghana, Tuchel said: "The unit on the left side hasn't provided the same quality as they did against Costa Rica. They were so good, I saw the game against Costa Rica and thought: 'OK, left side is solved, this unit, they find their link.' Then Marcus came on the left side, together with Eberechi Eze and Djed Spence, and they did so well. So I thought: 'Oh, we have two units. They know what they're doing and they're clicking.' It turns out we played the first match and they're not clicking."
Nico O'Reilly, despite starting all but one of England's games at left-back, has not built enough interactions with Anthony Gordon or Marcus Rashford to produce a reliable cohesion score. Rashford's cohesion score with Harry Kane is just 61.12 from 10 interactions, and his 14 interactions with Declan Rice produced a score of only 52.38. Gordon, though he has a 96.01 cohesion score with Kane, has only seven interactions with the striker.
On the right flank, Elliot Anderson has linked well with Noni Madueke (76.90) and Bukayo Saka (75.96), but neither winger has formed strong relationships with the right-back. James has a cohesion score of just 38.87 from 30 interactions with Madueke and 39.40 from 13 interactions with Saka. Spence has a score of 44.00 with Madueke from 97 minutes on the right, but scored 75.45 linking up with Gordon from left-back.
Central Partnerships Struggling
Kane and Jude Bellingham have a cohesion score of 61.43 from 13 interactions. Only Gordon (96.01) and Rice (97.09) score above 65 for cohesion with Kane. Bellingham's scores with Rashford (42.52), Gordon (40.40), and Madueke (40.25) are low, but he has 83.61 with Saka from just eight interactions.
The midfield partnership of Rice and Anderson has a lowly 50.65 cohesion score from 39 interactions. Rice has only 13 on-field interactions with Bellingham, compared to 53 between Anderson and the Real Madrid midfielder.
Defence: Mixed Connections
The centre-back partnership of Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi stands out with a cohesion score of 86.21. However, connections between centre-backs and full-backs are weaker: James (55.25) and Spence (55.82) with Konsa on the right, and O'Reilly (54.53) with Guehi on the left.
Tuchel moved Rice to right-back during the game against DR Congo, citing his connection with Saka and crossing ability. Against Mexico, who had only 43% possession against Ecuador but won 32 of 48 aerial duels, starting Rice at right-back could prioritize control. However, it is more likely Tuchel restores James if fit to retain Rice's strong relationship with Kane and control in midfield.
