Thomas Tuchel has delivered a damning verdict on Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford, admitting the left wing has “not provided the same quality” in England’s first two World Cup group matches. The Three Lions boss also criticised left-backs Nico O’Reilly and Djed Spence in a sensational blast, highlighting a lack of “connection and penetration” down that flank.
Tuchel’s Verdict on Gordon and Rashford
Tuchel believed he had solved the problem when Gordon shone in the final warm-up friendly with Costa Rica. However, he said there has not been enough “connection and penetration” down that flank in either of their first Group matches. Tuchel made it clear that Marcus Rashford has not delivered when he has started games but also highlighted the full backs being a real issue, which explains why O’Reilly was dropped for Spence against Ghana.
Tuchel’s Comments on the Left Side
Tuchel let rip after being asked about Rashford and whether it was likely he would start against Panama, then delivered a damning indictment on the left flank. “Marcus is in a good place, but when he started he was not as decisive as Anthony, that's just it,” Tuchel said. “We had a very good match against Costa Rica with Anthony and the unit, it's more a unit on the left side than it is individuals or ‘the winger didn't do enough.’ The unit on the left side hasn't provided the same quality as they did against Costa Rica. They were so good, I saw the game against Costa Rica and thought: ‘OK, left side is solved, this unit, they find their link.’ Then Marcus came on the left side, together with Eberechi Eze and Djed Spence, and they did so well. So I thought: ‘Oh, we have two units. They know what they're doing and they're clicking.’ It turns out we played the first match and they're not clicking, I’m not even sure why, but it was not the same amount of connection, not the same amount of penetration, not the same amount of verticality, and this was the same in the second match. I don't know the reason for it. I still trust all of them, I still trust them to get better. Marcus is just also very good from the bench, and it's sometimes nice to hold someone back. He struggled to have the same influence for us from the start, and yet from the bench he was always pushing. I know many times we spoke about him and you said, ‘You trust him so much, but what is the output?’ True, but he tries and he's there. He's in a good place. He’s pushing, he's a candidate to start, but the left side in general, no matter who plays, needs to click a bit more and provide a bit more threat.”
Tuchel Admits He Hasn’t Found the “Perfect Recipe”
Tuchel admits he has still not found the “perfect recipe” to beat teams at this World Cup. He warned it may be a test for England to break down another stubborn opponent playing with a low defensive block. England were left frustrated by Ghana, who held them to a goalless draw, leaving Tuchel’s men sweating on their place as Group winners. They must beat Panama, who are 42 in the FIFA world rankings (23 places above Ghana), and Tuchel expects another long, potentially frustrating and difficult test at the MetLife Stadium.
Breaking Down Low Blocks
“It is just how it is. It is difficult to accelerate the match against these low blocks. You see this in the Champions League as well, you see it in the Premier League. I saw many matches that looked like this,” Tuchel said. “It needs this one moment of quality and a bit more precision with the crossing. A bit more timing with the crosses, maybe a bit more awareness with the crosses. This is the moment. This is the half-chance that we want to take. Who is arriving with the cross? Are we arriving aggressively enough with the cross? How can we shoot more from outside the box, have a deflection and force this goal in? I haven’t found the recipe where ‘they do this, then we do this - and then we are fine.’ Maybe I am proven wrong but I don’t think anyone likes to play against Ghana. That is basically the learning. The highs should not get too high. The lows should not get too low. I don’t think it was a low. I have experienced matches like this in group stages of the Champions League where you travel to Copenhagen or Leipzig against a good team. Once Ghana came over the halfway line they celebrated like it was a goal. It was like that. They celebrated at the whistle a 0-0 like they had won. We were kind of disappointed and that shows it is just what it is. I was happy with the second game. You were not so happy with the second game. We did enough to win the Ghana game and we also had to control their counter attacks. Twice they were dangerous. But it is time to believe and time to keep on going. We will try to find a very active and aggressive approach now against Panama but we cannot just be stupid and naive. We will face another deep block in another kind of formation. We now see a back five. For many moments in the match we see a back six, we see a back seven.”
Hindsight and Squad Questions
The other big takeaway after the Ghana game was the beauty of hindsight. The queue of pundits, fans and experts questioned why England did not take Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold or a skilled player like Phil Foden to break down a stubborn opponent. Tuchel insisted he got a far more insightful text from another famous figure in football. Rather than talking about Palmer, Foden or Alexander-Arnold, it was a warning about Carlos Queiroz when the ex-Manchester United assistant took over as Ghana coach.
Tuchel’s Response on Squad Selection
When asked directly about the likes of Palmer, Foden and Alexander-Arnold, Tuchel said: “I cannot engage this after a draw. Spain had a draw. Brazil had their draw. Portugal had their draw. Honestly, we had a message from a very famous colleague, a very well respected colleague, after Ghana changed their coach. He texted us: ‘Your most difficult game is now the second game, I tell you that.’ So I have a bit of respect for what we’re playing here, and then we need to trust also our players and respect them. It helps no-one if we question things now. It’s a reflex, things don’t go well and then the guys on the bench are suddenly the winners or the guys at home are the winners. That’s not it. The game needs to be played how it’s played. It played out to be difficult. They made life very difficult for us. We selected a group from the evidence that we had. It cannot be that you’re not selected as a player and suddenly you will be. This is not how it works. We want to step up in the next game.”
