Alan Shearer has urged Thomas Tuchel to drop as many as four players from England's starting lineup for their final World Cup group game against Panama, following a disappointing goalless draw with Ghana in Boston. The former England captain believes the Three Lions have a point to prove and need a more energetic performance to build momentum for the knockout stages.
Shearer demands improvement after Ghana stalemate
England's second group match against Ghana was a reality check, according to Shearer. Despite a convincing win over Croatia earlier in the tournament, the draw means Tuchel's side are still virtually guaranteed to qualify for the knockout rounds. However, Shearer insists there is no need to panic but wants to see significant improvement. 'I really expected us to go into the Ghana game and play with great belief and confidence and tempo and pace to the game, but it was exactly the opposite to that, there was no edge, everything was safe, everything was sideways or backwards,' he told Betfair. 'There weren't enough players going past their opponent one v one and whipping balls in. When we did get the chance to put crosses in for the vast majority of time, they were very poor crosses.'
Four changes predicted by Shearer
With England needing a positive result to finish top of Group L, Tuchel cannot make wholesale changes, but Shearer believes the German tactician should consider alterations at both ends of the pitch. 'It wouldn't surprise me if he brought Stones back in for Konsa so he and Guehi can have a chance of playing together. It wouldn't surprise me if he brought Nico O'Reilly back in at left-back and changed the two wingers from Gordon and Madueke to Saka and Rashford,' Shearer said. He also criticised the team's approach, stating, 'They've got to play with more tempo and pace to their game. When you've got that low block and I don't care who you're playing against, if they get that many men behind the ball and they're really well organised it's tough to break down. But you have to be brave, and you have to put balls into the box when you get the opportunity you have to take it, and I thought too many times they were really poor in that situation.'
Injury concerns force potential changes
Tuchel may be forced into further changes after Reece James missed training on Friday with a hamstring issue. Given James' injury history, England will likely take no risks, with Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa, or Jarell Quansah as possible cover. Declan Rice, who is on a yellow card and managing a slight niggle, could also be left out, with Kobbie Mainoo potentially making his tournament debut. Shearer predicted a more energetic performance and a 2-0 or 3-0 victory for England.
England are aiming to win the World Cup for the first time since 1966, having come close under previous boss Sir Gareth Southgate, who led them to back-to-back European Championship finals and deep World Cup runs, including a semi-final in 2018 and a quarter-final in 2022.
