Thomas Tuchel has delivered a damning verdict on Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford, while also criticising left-backs Nico O’Reilly and Djed Spence in a sensational blast. The England manager admitted the left wing has “not provided the same quality” during the World Cup, despite initial promise in warm-up matches.
Tuchel’s Frustration with the Left Flank
Tuchel believed he had solved the problem when Gordon shone in the final warm-up friendly against Costa Rica. However, he said there has not been enough “connection and penetration” down that flank in either of England’s first Group matches. The Three Lions boss made it clear that Marcus Rashford has not delivered when he has started games, but also highlighted the full-backs as a real issue, which explains why O’Reilly was dropped for Spence against Ghana.
Rashford and Gordon Under Scrutiny
Tuchel let rip after being asked about Rashford and whether it was likely he would start against Panama. He said: “Marcus is in a good place, but when he started he was not as decisive as Anthony, that's just it. 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.’”
Tuchel added: “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.’”
Lack of Connection and Penetration
Tuchel explained: “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 continued: “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.”
