In his exclusive column for Metro, former England World Cup star David James reflects on the fightback against DR Congo and some of the big selection decisions that wait for the showdown with Mexico at the Azteca.
England's fightback against DR Congo
It certainly wasn't easy for England against DR Congo. But honestly, I wasn't panicking. There are so many levels to a game of football, especially when it is in the knockout stages of the World Cup involving England. I was never concerned.
DR Congo were exceptionally good in the first half, they were more than happy to play out and were very dangerous. They were quick and their passing was crisp and their goalkeeper had an exceptional game. But England were creating chances and hitting the target. In that scenario, even with half an hour ago, you are confident in the fact you are creating those chances and feel one of them will go in.
We have the best striker in the world at the moment in Harry Kane. The concern would be we haven't won a first half of a game yet. But that does mean we are equipped to dominate and win second halves. That is where Tuchel relies on Kane and knows he will get his moments late on, but the subs were pivotal too.
Hydration breaks and tactical changes
Those conversations in those hydration breaks, or tactical breaks if we call them what they are, are changing games. Kane will get the headlines but I thought the team performance stood out for me and that includes those pivotal substitutions.
Those first-half performances can be looked at as a concern in one sense, but changing the game in the second-half gives you so much confidence. The need to keep clean sheets doesn't seem to be the highest of priorities because they believes they have the firepower to score, be it through Kane, Jude Bellingham or anyone else. The self-belief is encouraging.
Mexico's home advantage and defensive record
Mexico have been so impressive and obviously have that huge home advantage at the Azteca. They haven't conceded a goal, their goalkeeper has had little to do so far. It sounds like a big obstacle. But the flip side is no one knows how they will react if they concede.
When you look at clean sheets being precious with 80,000 raucous fans behind you, that Mexico team do not know what it feels like to concede a goal in this tournament. If England score a goal, I want to see what they do and how they react. When you concede in that environment in can suck the air out of the stadium.
Should Declan Rice start at right-back?
That positional change in the second-half made a big difference. England can facilitate that because of the quality they have elsewhere in midfield. What I found interesting was every time Rice played the ball out, he was around the edge of the box, he was straight up there with it.
The work rate from the right-back position is very different from what he will have to do in midfield. It is a bit more linear. I thought he looked tired in that midfield role, the legs just didn't seem to be there. There were a few times he wasn't tracking back and I thought he needed to come off but when he went to right-back, he was supporting the play without needing to make those mad runs in midfield.
Having said that, I would go for Djed Spence against Mexico if Reece James isn't ready. From what I've seen of them, they are a quick team. They have a lot of players bombing on, there is so much dynamism about them. Julian Quinones is one of the quickest players in the competition, hitting a top speed of 36kph. Spence is at 35kph, James is 34.4kph and Rice is 32kph. Spence's pace will be key even if it is just in a covering role. If Reece James isn't fit, I see his pace over that of Rice being important. I think he is better placed for this game to start.
Kobbie Mainoo can be England's wild card
Kobbie Mainoo is the only outfield member of the England squad still to see minute of World Cup action. If the Manchester United midfielder is fit and available, I wouldn't be surprised to see him included against Mexico.
I do wonder why Tuchel hasn't used him already but he definitely hasn't taken him along just for the ride. There is part of me that thinks this could be his game. We have seen throughout the competition, if it doesn't work out, Tuchel is always ready to make the changes that have been so fruitful for England. So why not put him in?
Mexico may not know too much about him in an England setting, they won't have much of a World Cup database on him so it could be seen as an element of surprise. If Tuchel is trying to solve this first-half problem then perhaps Mainoo is the one who can answer the questions and unlock things.
We're aware that Rice is dealing with this injury issue so it's also another opportunity to give him some respite, particularly in the first-half. Mainoo missed the first-half of the season frozen out of the team at United, so he is fresh. Mainoo could be the card up Tuchel's sleeve.
Jordan Pickford not to blame for Congo goal
There was some criticism of Jordan Pickford for DR Congo's goal. There was a wicked dip on Brian Cipenga's shot and Djed Spence was diving across. It is such a difficult thing for goalkeepers to deal with because even for a split second, you can't help but wait to see what happens.
Jordan sees the shot but he also sees Spence diving across to make the block and that millisecond of waiting is the difference between making the save or not. I don't think it was a mistake, it was a tremendous shot and had Spence not dived across I think Jordan saves it, simple as that.
England's wide issues still to be solved
We have seen Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke all start games and come off the bench but it hasn't clicked out wide yet. I'm wondering whether it is the instructions given at the beginning of games.
The way DR Congo started the game wasn't what England expected. It seems at the moment, it is the substitutions that are the influence as opposed to being in a winning position with the changes then providing more control.
It will be interesting to see who he starts against Mexico, I think Rashford looks better coming off the bench. If he is to make changes, the conversation between Tuchel and his players will have to be the right one so the players understand why they are being dropped. But I like everything I have heard from Tuchel, he has the ability to have those conversations calmly. So if Rashford is to come off the bench, he is coming on with the right mindset to influence the game. I'm sure Tuchel has been thinking over why it isn't working from the get go, but with results going in our favour, he is making adjustments to get the result.
