Manager Thomas Tuchel analyzed the draw between England and Ghana. (Image: Getty Images)
Manager Thomas Tuchel has urged England supporters to remain calm following their World Cup stumble and warned his players there is a good chance they will be rotated against Panama. England were held to a goalless draw with Ghana and moved up the standings, with their place in the group stage set to be determined by the final match against Panama.
However, despite the completely disappointing result, Tuchel insisted that no team had faced as tough a second leg as England vs Ghana. The African nation is ranked 64th in the FIFA rankings, but Tuchel insists he was given a tough challenge in Boston, which is precisely why England have escaped the impasse.
England manager Tuchel said: “I watched some of the second round matches against big countries and unfortunately, with all due respect, we weren’t at the level of Ghana on the other side of the pitch.”
“We played against a very physical team and Ghana were strong. We created half-chances, created deliveries and set-pieces, but we couldn’t score from them and change the character of the game. We know it’s not an easy game, we know it.”
“Maybe as a coach you see it differently than you do from the sideline. We know what we want and what we have to look out for. I know it’s not crazy exciting, but it takes two to tango.”
“That’s the reality. We have a long way to go and no player has ever won a World Cup by scoring four goals in one game.
“We always want to move towards it and our responsibility is to bring everything to the table. We’ve tried, but sometimes it’s difficult. There’s no need to feel negative.”
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Tuchel reshuffled his defensive line, replacing his partner Ezri Konsa at the back with Marc Guehi, but the England manager was quick to praise the performance of his rearguard.
The England manager was also pressed about the big reaction after his team’s 2-0 win over weak Andorra at Villa Park, followed by a strong comeback with a 5-0 win in Serbia just three days later.
Thomas Tuchel looked frustrated on the touchline. (Image: Getty Images)
England must respond in kind after their goalless draw with Ghana, ahead of playing Panama in New Jersey on Saturday.
He named two centre-backs, Guehi and Konsa, with strong performances, along with Elliott Anderson.
Tuchel added: “I liked both central defenders. It was a difficult game. We conceded two counter-attacks, only two counter-attacks, but they were straight up dangerous.”
“So credit to the team, structure and discipline for not allowing it to go any further.
“No, I’m not worried. We know how good they are, how strong they are physically, and 80 percent possession is crazy. So we were always trying to create something. It was a very reactive game from them.”
“I remember well because I was happy with the game against Andorra, but I wasn’t worried and I wasn’t saying we weren’t good enough and needed to react.
“And that was not the speech I gave to the players today. It was a complicated game today and that can happen.”
Tuchel also admitted that if England’s team wins against Ghana in the final group stage match and seals their place at the top of the table, they would like to rest and rotate their squad ahead of the match against Panama in New Jersey. With this result, they would have secured the top spot in their group and secured a route to advance to the final tournament as the fourth seed, with the first final tournament scheduled to be held in Atlanta.
Tuchel admitted he intended to make changes for the match against Panama, but they were not the drastic personnel changes England would have made had they had a deal in place.
Tuchel added: “We didn’t even know if we would do a full rotation. Maybe we will. But we are not shy about doing rotations now. Some players should be on the pitch, but maybe it will be more moderate.”
“It’s not always fair to just rotate players and say, ‘Okay, let’s perform.’ Yeah, I like the centre-backs, for example. They worked well together. I like Elliott Anderson. He stepped forward and performed well, probably a little better than against Croatia.”
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