Jack Wilshere has urged England fans not to panic after last night’s 0-0 draw against Ghana, but believes Thomas Tuchel should make at least one change to his starting line-up. The Three Lions were unable to build on last week’s convincing win over Croatia and were forced to settle for a point having been frustrated by Carlos Queiroz’s well-disciplined side.
England's Performance and Tuchel's Frustration
England did create a flurry of late chances once Tuchel had added an extra attacking threat by introducing the likes of Marcus Rashford and Morgan Rogers. Progression to the knockout stage is assured, but top spot will only be guaranteed by victory against the side currently ranked 58th in the world. While the overall picture still looks healthy, Tuchel clearly wasn’t satisfied with his side’s performance and cut an exasperated figure on the touchline. The former Chelsea boss was again spotted airing his frustration at Djed Spence who had been drafted into the starting XI at the expense of Nico O’Reilly.
Wilshere Defends Tuchel's Intensity
‘I think it’s quite normal,’ Wilshere told talkSPORT when asked about Tuchel’s aggressively barking instructions from the sidelines. ‘When we were growing up, we used to get screamed at, and we just took it. It’s kind of now gone through that period of coaching where there’s a little bit more of an arm round [a player]… I think it’s very individual. You know the players that you can do that to; I think you know the players that don’t need it and know when they’re probably not doing what they should be doing.’
‘I saw the clip from training as well when Tuchel was shouting, “Wake up!” to Djed. I also saw Djed’s comments and he’s like, “Yeah, it’s normal; he’s a top coach; he demands a lot”. I think he’ll know the ones [he needs to remind]. You probably won’t see him doing that to Harry Kane, because Harry Kane knows, and it’s probably the same with Dec [Declan Rice]. But there are certain players that can switch off; they can lose focus a little bit. That’s him trying to help Djed, so I don’t see a problem with it.’
Wilshere Calls for Rashford to Replace Gordon
Spence’s failure to fully capitalise on the chance handed to him by his manager could cost him his place against Panama, but Wilshere believes it’s further forward where changes are required. Anthony Gordon may have just completed a £70million move to Barcelona, but Wilshere believes his place should be taken by the player who he is effectively likely to be replacing at Camp Nou in Marcus Rashford.
He said: ‘Wingers, I always think is such a difficult position because one game you can be the best player and another game it doesn’t quite work out. You miss a one v one, you lose the ball a couple of times because they take so many risks. You want your wingers to take risks.’
‘I feel like Rashford has spent a year at Barcelona where wingers over the years and the way they coach them and the detail they give them. They are their top, top level and I think he’s had a top season. I think, yeah, he’s probably one we might see in the next game.’
‘I think the 83rd minute was probably too late for him. Again, someone who dribbles, he gets that place. Anthony Gordon can do that, but I feel like if you can see that, it’s not working like change the wingers. That’s one thing that you can do and it’s relatively risk-free in terms of avoiding transition and stuff and probably waited too long for that.’
