Jamie O'Hara has slammed Thomas Tuchel's decision to omit Trent Alexander-Arnold from England's World Cup squad as 'criminal' and 'one of the worst World Cup squad picks ever', following England's unconvincing 2-1 victory over DR Congo in Atlanta.
England scrape past DR Congo thanks to Kane double
The Three Lions fell behind after just seven minutes, with DR Congo threatening a monumental upset. Harry Kane headed in an equaliser on 75 minutes before hammering home a brilliant winner with four minutes of normal time remaining. The win booked England's place in the last 16, where they will face Mexico at the Azteca.
O'Hara, speaking on talkSPORT, felt Kane got England 'out of a hole' but warned the team cannot rely on individual brilliance alone. 'Obviously Kane. He'll win you a game, and [Jude] Bellingham, but you can't have two players win the World Cup,' O'Hara said. 'France have got six or seven. Where are the players who are going to make something happen?'
Right-back woes highlight Alexander-Arnold absence
O'Hara was particularly critical of the right-back situation, where Djed Spence started but was later replaced by midfielder Declan Rice after being taken off. 'The right-back position. It's almost criminal that we're having to play [Djed] Spence there. Spence doesn't start at right-back for Tottenham, who finished 17th!' O'Hara exclaimed.
He added: 'I'm looking at it going, what's going on? What am I watching? Madueke doesn't get to the byline, pulls it back to Spence. Spence doesn't want to cross the ball. It's not his game. He's athletic, he'll defend well. It's not his game.'
The former Tottenham midfielder argued that the team looked better when Rice moved to right-back and Bukayo Saka played on the right wing, because they had a connection. 'All of a sudden, the best part of the game where we looked alright, was when Declan Rice went right-back and Saka played right wing. Because they had a connection. If Saka tried to get to the byline, it didn't happen, come back to Rice, and Rice puts the ball in the box.'
O'Hara then launched a stinging attack on Tuchel's squad selection: 'How have we not took Trent? How? It's going to go down as one of the worst World Cup squad picks ever. Ever! That Trent hasn't gone. Cole Palmer must be sat in Ibiza laughing that he's not involved in this squad. Laughing. Because we are terrible. We're terrible.'
Cundy offers alternative view but echoes concerns
O'Hara's co-host Jason Cundy suggested that England might fare better against stronger teams who give them more space, but feared the team's lack of quality on the ball. 'There is something to be said for the fact that when you play teams like Mexico, or play teams like Argentina, Brazil, whoever, they will give you more space. That's a fact,' said the former Chelsea player. 'It's what you do with the ball. And we look lost. We look dead. Even when we get spaces in wide areas, where you can take player on, we look like little birds.'
Cundy added: 'We're like little birds sat on the patio eating. When you open the patio door, they all fly away. That's what we are. They fly away. Don't want the ball. When they get the ball, what are you going to do with it? Don't do anything with it. Come back inside [from the wing]. It's easier to come back inside and keep the ball and then move it left. And then it's so slow and it's so boring and it's so dull.'
