For England, it’s job done. It wasn’t always pretty and for far too long it was a bit nervy, but Thomas Tuchel’s team got there in the end and will head into the knockout stages of the World Cup as Group L winners.
Ten years ago this week England were being knocked out of the 2016 Euros by Iceland. Here in the United States, Tuchel’s team are where they need to be.
Here, Daily Mail Sport examines the key details from a huge night in New Jersey.
A PRESSURE RELEASE
England will not win the World Cup playing this. Indeed they may not win another game in the tournament playing like this. But the point is that England now have a platform on which to build and grow.
From the moment Harry Kane scored their second goal here in a sodden MetLife Stadium, you could feel the release of pressure. And this is the way that big tournaments work. The early stages are all about survival and then it’s about kicking on and improving against teams who actually need to try to beat you.
If we look back through tournament history we will find many examples of flat England performances in the groups. We drew 0-0 with the USA in 2022 in Qatar for example. We drew 0-0 against Scotland at Wembley in Euro 2020 and it heaved it down that night too. The last Euros two years ago featured tedious draws against Denmark and Slovenia.
From the moment Harry Kane scored England’s second goal here in a sodden MetLife Stadium, you could feel the release of pressure
England have never been fully fluent in group stages – remember their dreary 0-0 draw with Scotland at Wembley at Euro 2020?
Indeed only once – in Spain at the 1982 World Cup – have England won all three games at this stage, and then they immediately went out in the second group phase, drawing 0-0 with West Germany and the hosts. So England must take heart from the way they came through another examination of nerve here and understand that the knockout stages will present them with a completely different dynamic.
The early stages are all about responsibility. Now it’s about opportunity and it would only take one convincing showing to really give them lift-off. Remember the 2-0 win over Germany in the Euros five years ago? That’s what we are talking about.
England looked anxious and uncertain until Jude Bellingham scored the first goal against Panama and it was a really hard watch for the thousands of fans who came here expecting better. But there will be fewer opponents presenting unambitious low blocks from this point and – though there is much to improve on – that will suit England.
Bellingham himself put it well when he said: ‘We know what level we are at and what we want to achieve and we did in the second half. Every day we have to try to improve and it’s up to us to do that.’
DO WE LOOK SECURE?
Tuchel has been in denial about the vulnerability that has been written through England’s defending from the start of this tournament.
It was put to him after the Ghana bore draw that his back four and goalkeeper looked skittish and he looked incredulous at – indeed almost amused by – the suggestion. ‘I like the defence,’ he said.
Tuchel’s natural optimism is one of the most likeable things about him but he cannot continue to sing that tune. The way England continue to look across the back, the first good team they play will score against them.
Panama are ranked one place below Scotland at 43rd in the world but had 13 shots here against England and Alan Shearer, the BBC’s best pundit these days, was spot on when he said: ‘The further England go, if they give the chances they have today then they will be punished.’
Thomas Tuchel has been in denial about the vulnerability that has been written through England’s defending from the start of this tournament
Even after Tuchel’s team scored quickfire goals just after the hour, Panama looked capable of breaching the England defence and too much of it came about once again from hesitancy and a lack of understanding in the English ranks.
Sometimes it’s hard to identity what has changed, but something has since England qualified without conceding a goal in eight matches.
With Jarell Quansah going off injured, Tuchel also has another right back injury to worry about. There isn’t much Tuchel can do in terms of personnel. It looks like it needs work on the training pitch and England only have one full session between now and the game in Atlanta. Sunday will be a recovery day back in Kansas and on Tuesday, they will travel east.
THE CRUCIAL STAGE FOR ENGLAND
As soon as the World Cup draw was made in Washington last December, it was clear that the next week of this tournament would be pivotal to England’s chances.
Including last night, Tuchel’s squad face three games in 10 games and – if they do win in Atlanta – the final one of those will be in Mexico City at altitude. It’s a huge ask for England. Training days will be limited and there will be lots of travel.
Tuchel was blasé against it last night and said: ‘We have three days, then the next match in four days. It’s not a problem, we love that and are good at that.’ The truth is that the England manager has absolutely no evidence to support this. The last England team to travel long distances at a summer tournament was Gareth Southgate’s in Russia 2018 and the logistics were nothing compared to this.
It is also now that Tuchel’s decision to base the team in Kansas will either work or be proved to be a huge mistake. FIFA wanted teams to ‘follow the draw’ from this point on. In other words, to go from city to city rather than go back and forth to a central base.
England decided to do it their own way and so will fly five times and thousands of miles over the course of the next week or so as they try to make it to the last eight. If England make it, they will be well set. They will get their rest days and their training days. If they don’t then the wisdom of their planning will be questioned all the way home to Heathrow.
England decided to do it their own way and so will fly five times and thousands of miles over the course of the next week or so as they try to make it to the last eight
RASHFORD STEPS UP
One of Tuchel’s big – if more predictable – calls was to choose Marcus Rashford over Anthony Gordon down the left side. Even though England didn’t score in the first half, Rashford immediately carried more of a threat and if he stays fit he should have that spot wrapped up going forward.
Rashford has always performed for his country. He wears the shirt comfortably and has 19 goals in 75 caps which is a good return for a wide player.
And the good thing for Tuchel at this tournament is that Rashford is playing to put himself in the shop window. With Barcelona not having taken up their option to buy the Manchester United player after a year on loan, he is very much open to offers.
Gordon looks to have taken his spot at the Nou Camp after his own big move from Newcastle so it was a little ironic here that his football was everything that his squad-mate’s hasn’t been so far. Rashford was direct and purposeful. He tried to set a tempo with an early low shot that served notice of his intent and was also close with a header that just went over.
In the second half he didn’t always make the right decisions. He needs to do better with some of his final passes. But the dynamic between him and Kane and Bellingham looks as though it has potential to be something that will worry opponents who have the courage to leave spaces. Rashford should start the next game in Atlanta without a doubt.
Marcus Rashford has always performed for his country. He wears the shirt comfortably and has 19 goals in 75 caps which is a good return for a wide player
SET-PIECE THREAT NEEDS WORK
England scored from a corner and it was superbly done by star man Bellingham. To hold off his man and tuck the ball in on the volley required not only great technique but superb upper-body strength.
Bellingham looks ready to write his name across this tournament and it’s great to see. He has taken his cue from the other star names in this fabulous tournament. Maybe some of his team-mates can feed off that. But the truth is that goal came from an isolated set-piece threat.
Tuchel has spent a year talking up the value of set pieces at this World Cup. His assistant Anthony Barry has written a thesis on throw-ins. It’s not overstating it to say that the two of them are a little obsessed by it all. But after starting the tournament with a well-worked goal for Kane against Croatia in Dallas, England’s menace from that point of view has largely disappeared.
Here in the rain, England’s delivery from dead balls was aimless and ineffective. They looked almost unplanned. Maybe they missed the injured Declan Rice but he played against Ghana and England were no better. There was one shot wide from a Rashford 25-yard free-kick in the first half but apart from that there was absolutely nothing until Bellingham’s goal.
Tuchel’s favourite Premier League team is Arsenal. Well, three games into a tournament he was hired to win, Tuchel’s team look absolutely nothing like them.
