Cole Palmer could have been the difference maker for England against Ghana – Thomas Tuchel’s side lacked a cutting edge in the final third.
That’s the view of ex-Newcastle and Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew, who has commented on the Three Lions’ drab 0-0 draw on Tuesday.
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England couldn’t replicate their stunning 4-2 win over Croatia in last week’s opening World Cup Group L victory.
A resolute Ghana side limited England to a handful of clear-cut opportunities with both sides on level points heading into the final group game.
While England mustered 19 attempts, it took until the closing stages to have their best chance of the game, with Nico O’Reilly’s header hitting the post – which was followed up with a wild shot over the bar by record scorer Harry Kane on the rebound.
The dismal display saw Adrian Durham give two players 1/10 ratings in his brutal assessment.
Tuchel has already been told to make one major change to his line-up in Saturday’s clash against Panama to bring back free-flowing football.
But Pardew believes England could be suffering from a creativity problem when they come up against a defensive-minded team.
He hinted that Palmer – a notable omission from England’s World Cup squad – could have been the player to unlock the Ghana defence.
What has Alan Pardew said about England’s performance?
Discussing England’s performance on the Hawksbee and Jacobs show on Wednesday, Pardew said: “I don’t mind a pass going square or backwards at times, but then you want a forward run.
“And I thought there was too many times yesterday, in particular the two full-backs [Reece James and Djed Spence], just played a square pass and stood still.
“So what’s the point of that? You haven’t created anything.
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“And then there was a couple of times when I thought [Jude] Bellingham was the only one who was looking for one-twos, trying to run beyond, which is a feature of his play.
“But we didn’t have enough of that, and that sharpness and little cleverness and thinking around the box was very much lacking.
“And there’s a lot of people talking about Palmer missing the group.
“And he would have been the type of player that I personally would have had in the group for that equation that you had yesterday.
“When you are going into a World Cup tournament, you haven’t just got one equation, you’ve got lots of equations to come.”
Pardew added: “What really bugs me a little bit, is we created such momentum the other night, and I can see it in you two guys [Paul Hawksbee and Andy Jacobs], you’re down a little bit.
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“And I think that’s a reflection of the nation, and the kids watching last night have had to sit through 90 minutes of that torment.
“And it seems to be just the way we have to suffer as English fans, but I hope they get it back on track against Panama.
“An early goal always creates an issue for a low-block team and that will be key.
“And I really thought the first 20 minutes [against Ghana], we were very, very passive, and that can’t happen going forward if we come up against lower-ranked teams.”
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