England’s major tournament second-game syndrome reared its ugly head in Boston on Tuesday, as Carlos Queiroz’s Ghana frustrated the life out of the Three Lions in a goalless stalemate.
The result left pundits aching for Cole Palmer’s spontaneity and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s otherworldly distribution, but Thomas Tuchel didn’t make the roster selections he did to win over the masses at this early juncture.
Expectations were raised to an unhealthy degree after the handsome Croatia win, and it won’t take much for the Three Lions to rapidly galvanize a nation once more. Victory against Panama on Saturday would see England win Group L and set up a round of 32 tie against either the DR Congo, Senegal or Ecuador.
Here’s the team Tuchel could pick for England’s final group game.
England Predicted XI vs. Panama
Pick your England XI!
GK: Jordan Pickford—England’s No. 1 has had a relatively unconvincing start to the tournament. Pickford so rarely lets his country down on the big stage, but he’s yet to settle in North America.
RB: Djed Spence—Thomas Tuchel’s trust in Reece James’ fitness has already come back to bite the German. James picked up a hamstring injury against Ghana, subsequently missed training, and is a major doubt for Saturday’s game.
CB: Ezri Konsa—Konsa was mightily fortunate not to concede a penalty late on in Boston, and some may wonder whether Tuchel utilizes his third different center back combination of the World Cup.
CB: Marc Guéhi—There wasn’t much box defending to do, but Guéhi was assured last time out on his first World Cup start. The Manchester City man deserves to retain his place.
LB: Nico O’Reilly—England missed O’Reilly’s capacity to crash the box on Matchday 2, and Tuchel won’t make the same mistake of leaving him out here.
CM: Elliot Anderson—Anderson is set to become the fourth-most expensive player ever after Man City struck a deal with Nottingham Forest for his services. He’s yet to reach his apex across the Atlantic, and England supporters will hope he grows into the World Cup.
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CM: Jude Bellingham—Declan Rice has a minor calf injury and is a booking away from missing the round of 32. He’s not worth risking. Instead of deploying Kobbie Mainoo or chief cheerleader Jordan Henderson, we could see Bellingham occupy a deeper midfield role.
RW: Bukayo Saka—After getting an encouraging 30 minutes under his belt last time out, Saka might be ready for an hour against Panama. Saka’s fitness could decide how far England goes at this tournament.
AM: Morgan Rogers—Rice’s potential absence could open the door for Rogers, who was tipped by some before the World Cup to start ahead of Bellingham. Well, there is a world in which they can co-exist.
LW: Marcus Rashford—Anthony Gordon’s slow start means it has to be Rashford time. The destructive winger earned just a cameo role against Ghana, but England was at its most threatening when he was on the pitch.
