Thomas Tuchel has been advised to drop Bukayo Saka from England's World Cup team as the Arsenal forward 'doesn't make an impact anymore'. Tuchel will name his first England World Cup team on Wednesday night when the Three Lions kick off their campaign against Croatia.
Guaranteed starters and selection dilemmas
A number of players look guaranteed a place in Tuchel's XI, including goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, left-back Nico O'Reilly, midfielders Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson and striker Harry Kane. But Tuchel also faces several selection dilemmas, most notably at centre-back and on both flanks to support England captain Kane.
The German manager looks set to put his faith in a centre-back partnership of John Stones and Ezri Konsa, a decision that has been criticised by several England legends given the presence of Marc Guehi in the squad. Tuchel is also believed to be favouring Anthony Gordon over Marcus Rashford on the left-wing, while Jude Bellingham is expected to start in the No. 10 position ahead of Morgan Rogers.
Saka's fitness concerns
The situation at right-wing is less clear – Saka has been England's first-choice in that position for several years but there are concerns over his fitness following a frustrating season on an individual level. As a result, Tuchel could be tempted to start Saka's Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke against Croatia.
Asked if Saka deserves to start England's opening fixture, former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit – who won the World Cup with France – told talkSPORT: 'No – for me, no. Bukayo Saka, for me, he's not coming out from a good season with Arsenal. We saw that in the Champions League final, he was struggling. He doesn't make any impact anymore. I think there are better players who deserve to be in the first XI. I am a huge, huge fan of Saka, but I have to be honest. And we're not talking about Zidane or Messi, that kind of player, who even at 60 per cent, they should be on the pitch. Saka is not that kind of player. There are so many strong and talented players that are better than Bukayo Saka.'
Croatia clash and predictions
Croatia have punched above their weight in major tournaments, reaching the World Cup final in 2018 after beating England in the semis. Revealing his prediction for this Group L fixture, Three Lions legend John Barnes told Betfred: 'I'm going to go with 1-1. I think both teams will be okay with that as it'll be a game that neither of them want to lose and Thomas Tuchel is a very pragmatic manager anyway, so I don't think it's going to be a very open game. It's essential for England to get off to a good start, but it's also essential for Croatia. The fact it's the most difficult game of the group, that probably works in England's favour because not necessarily in this World Cup but in most, you can have some funny first matches because the teams you should beat are confident as they haven't been beaten already and that makes it trickier. I'm fairly confident they will go through, but I'm glad it's Croatia first game rather than last.'
After facing Croatia, England will turn their attentions to subsequent group games against Ghana and Panama.
