England’s countdown to the 2026 World Cup is officially at a critical stage. Manager Thomas Tuchel is preparing his Three Lions for their final formal rehearsal against Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday night (9pm BST).
Unlike England’s uninspiring, low-intensity 1-0 win over New Zealand on Saturday, the hope is that this clash will set the tone before the real drama begins against Croatia on June 17th. In the latest episode of the Make Football Great Again podcast, the Mirror’s chief football writer Jon Cross provided a fascinating snapshot of a team full of positive vibes but struggling with some big dilemmas.
Forget the low-key training session with New Zealand, Costa Rica is instead a barometer of England’s preparations. As Cross reveals, beneath the surface of relaxed barbecue and laid-back music, major Backpage headlines are brewing.
Saka’s poor health
The biggest concerns across the England camp revolve around Arsenal’s talismanic winger Bukayo Saka. Despite overcoming the pain barrier to finish the domestic season, the “wonder kid” is far from completely sharp and, according to Tuchel, is not fit enough to start every World Cup match for the Three Lions.
“Bukayo is not there yet,” the German told reporters on Tuesday. “He’s still getting there, playing through some discomfort at the end of the season, but obviously managing it and playing at a high level, but he’s still not 100 percent.
“At the moment, he can’t do all the practices throughout the week and then play. He’s still going to be managed…I think it’s very unlikely that Bukayo will start and finish every game going forward.”
Bukayo Saka has some problems with his Achilles tendon (Image: Getty Images)
This poses a serious problem for England with an injury to one of their key players, but it also presents an interesting opportunity, particularly for Saka’s Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke.
“I think he will be a direct replacement, Saka for Maduke,” Cross predicts. “Why did Tuchel choose Maduke over (Jarod) Bowen? In my opinion, he chose him because he has never let us down. If you remember, he was outstanding in a series of games last fall.
“Does Tuchel trust Maduke? Does Tuchel have any concerns about using Maduke for these games? No, he absolutely does not.”
He added: “So if there is a game where Saka can’t start or can’t finish, Madueke, I think Madueke will be here for this tournament.”
Harsh weather and the need for rotation
If home fans were expecting a consistent, consistent starting lineup throughout the tournament, they will be in for a rude awakening. The deciding factor in England’s World Cup is likely to be the harsh, energy-sapping American climate, which is likely to force regular changes as well as adjustments to the team’s core plans.
“The climate is stifling, humid and tense,” Cross explains. “It actually makes training harder. It takes more energy than a beautiful sunny day.
“This is a competition where there are a lot of changes. The weather may decide the tournament for England because I think it will be very difficult to have 11 players starting every game.”
England makes changes to heat protection measures (Image: Getty Images)
Inside the camp: Beetroot and BBQ
Despite the looming tactical headaches, the atmosphere in the camp is a world away from England’s toxic and claustrophobic regimes of the past. There’s no trace of Fabio Capello’s infamous military-style lockdown here.
Instead, Tuchel fostered a relaxed and deeply harmonious environment. The public training session, which is available to journalists, is soundtracked by chill music hand-picked by the team’s masseuses and features the likes of Luther Vandross to lighten the mood.
“It’s not like Mikel Arteta played ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ to prepare for Anfield. It was nice, calm and good,” Cross said. “Tuchel was also wearing a hoodie to protect his head from the sun shining through the clouds. It’s a really nice touch.
“They’re having barbecues, high protein, obviously a lot of chicken and beef… It’s really a themed night, so it’s a little bit Chinese, a little bit Indian, a little bit Italian, and we’re trying to mix it up. You can imagine being away for seven weeks potentially, it’s going to be pretty boring… so they’re eating out and doing the odd barbecue for lunch and dinner, so we’re trying to mix it up and keep it light and bright.”
Amazing Kane stats
The atmosphere in the camp is perfect, but England face a frightening mathematical reality in attack. Captain Harry Kane enters the tournament in lively form, but his decline in the standings since then has been astonishing.
Cross points to a truly worrying statistic that highlights how dangerously dependent the Three Lions are on their star striker for clinical finishing.
“This statistic is unbelievable. Harry Kane has scored 79 goals, which is 12 more than the rest of the team,” Cross revealed. “The other 25 members average less than three goals, which is surprising.”
England players participating in a team barbecue (Image: Getty Images)
Despite over-reliance on Kane’s firepower, the Bayern Munich striker firmly rejected the idea that England had become a ‘Harry Kane team’.
“No matter which top striker you have in the team, you’re going to rely on your striker to score goals,” Kane told ITV. “If you’re the top scorer in your team, like Erling in Norway or Mbappé in France, you’re expected to score goals, and that’s not a bad thing.
“If you look at the team we have selected, I think there will be goals from other areas of the team. We also have great wingers in the team we have selected and everyone has had a successful season in terms of trophies and that is an important factor. People may say they may be counting on me, but that is a responsibility I have had throughout my career.”
Bellingham’s Conundrum
Social media in his home country is awash with discussion about Jude Bellingham’s role under Tuchel. Morgan Rodgers has been in great form during Bellingham’s injury absence, but some are questioning how the Real Madrid superstar will adapt.
Cross completely denies any talk that suggests Bellingham is anything other than a guaranteed name on the team sheet.
“People are completely speechless that England won’t start one of the best players in the world,” Cross said. “Tuchel’s mindset is that it’s all about the team… but in my opinion England definitely can’t win the World Cup without Jude Bellingham.”
Expected lineup for match against Costa Rica
England face Costa Rica tonight (Image: Getty Images)
So what will the team sheet look like for this important rehearsal? Kross is expecting a strong, albeit carefully managed, line-up, given that Tuchel wants to see a performance that emulates the upcoming game against Croatia.
Arsenal’s key players may be spared a huge burden thanks to the extended break, but the core of their starting XI will largely mirror the squad scheduled to feature in the opening round of the World Cup.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Arsenal players get a little bit more leeway,” Cross points out. “But I think we might see Jordan Pickford, Reece James, John Stones, Mark Guehi, Nico O’Reilly. Then Elliott Anderson and Jordan Henderson, then Jude Bellingham, Noni Madueke, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane. That wouldn’t be far from the Croatia line-up.”
