Noni Madueke has warned that England must not take the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) lightly but expects a much more fluent attacking display than against Ghana during the group stages. The England squad has been practising penalties in preparation for a potential shootout in the last-32 tie.
England's attacking fluency key against DR Congo
England struggled to break down Carlos Queiroz’s side in the 0-0 draw in Boston last week, and the DRC are expected to employ the same counterattacking style for the match in Atlanta on Wednesday. Madueke, who started against Croatia and Ghana before losing his place to Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka for the win against Panama, emphasised the need for improved execution.
“I expect a difficult game for sure. When you get to this stage of the World Cup, you can’t take any opposition lightly,” Madueke said. “They will have their strengths and their qualities that they try to impose in the game. This game will definitely be difficult and we’ll be ready from the start.”
DR Congo's Premier League talents pose threat
Madueke believes a DRC team that features several Premier League players, including Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa and Noah Sidiki of Sunderland, should not be underestimated. Saka is expected to retain his spot on the right of England’s attack, with Djed Spence in line to start at right-back due to injuries to Reece James and Jarell Quansah.
Breaking down low blocks a global challenge
Asked whether there was any concern that England may again struggle to break down a low block, Madueke noted that it is a common difficulty. “It’s not just us. I feel like every team has difficulties with the opposition setting up 11 players in 30 metres of space. It’s not easy to break down. I think we’ve seen other top nations struggle as well. Spain, Portugal in the last game. It’s just part of football now,” he said.
“Of course, when you play England, naturally you’re going to have a defensive approach because of the quality in our team. From our perspective, we have the same patterns and we’ll look to try and implement them a little bit better than we did in the last game versus Ghana, which probably will be similar to this one.”
Penalty practice and psychological preparation
Madueke, who it is understood was due to take the sixth penalty in Arsenal’s shootout defeat against Paris Saint-Germain last month before the crucial miss from Gabriel Magalhães, has been practising spot-kicks with the rest of the squad. He said it would be crucial that England hold their nerve if the game on Wednesday were to go the distance.
“A lot of it is psychological,” he said. “How you strike the ball, depending on your run-up and whether you stop or whether you wait for the keeper, or whether you just pick a corner and look to strike it as cleanly as possible. All those things go into it.”
Healthy competition with Bukayo Saka
Asked whether competing with Saka for club and country has made him a better player since joining Arsenal from Chelsea last summer, Madueke said: “I feel like you always have to be at the highest level because you know you have a top player waiting and biting at your heels to try and get in the team. I think that type of healthy competition is good. Playing for Arsenal and England, you don’t really need anyone else to keep you at the highest level.”
