England manager Thomas Tuchel must use the World Cup hydration breaks to fix the mess he created, after a narrow 2-1 win over DR Congo in Atlanta exposed deep-seated problems. The rollercoaster ride should serve as a wake-up call, as Tuchel's loyalty to certain players and partnerships nearly led to an early exit. England now need every marginal gain to usurp Mexico; if they play like they did for 75 minutes, they will face a one-sided beating at the Estadio Azteca.
Defensive Fragility Exposed
England looked vulnerable defensively due to constant changes. It was the first time this backline played together, and it showed. Djed Spence failed to deal with Chancel Mbemba's curling ball, leaving a gap that Brian Cipenga exploited. Spence's reaction was telling—he blamed others, but Noni Madueke had switched off and failed to track Cipenga. There was also a question of whether Spence could have passed Sadiki to Ezri Konsa. These structural issues stem from a lack of familiarity and time on the training field.
Selection Blunders
Tuchel's squad selection has been a mess. He claimed nobody saw Reece James' hamstring strain coming, but James missed 14 games last season and sat out the 2022 World Cup. Tuchel picked Tino Livramento, who missed 28 Newcastle games, as understudy, and he picked up a muscle problem. In came Trevoh Chalobah, a centre-back with zero minutes, over Trent Alexander-Arnold and attacking weapons Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, who were on holiday. When England struggled to break down DR Congo's defence, not selecting them felt like a monstrous mistake.
Midfield Imbalance
The team looked better when Declan Rice shifted to right-back, as the midfield pairing of Rice and Elliot Anderson lacked variety. The team that got England over the line was more balanced, and this game must mark a line in the land for Tuchel's mundane experiments. According to sources, Tuchel is yet to execute the correct starting XI, and there's an argument he still doesn't know his best line-up—a cause for concern at this stage.
