England return to the World Cup on Tuesday night against Ghana, and manager Thomas Tuchel has some decisions to make.
Last week, the Three Lions made a stunning second-half comeback to beat Croatia 4-2 in an exhilarating start to the tournament. But it also left Tuchel with a selection headache of the good kind.
He hailed the influence of his ‘finishers’ after Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Jed Spence and Morgan Rodgers made changes from the bench. But did they do enough in Dallas to earn a place in Boston’s starting lineup?
Saka gave England a timely boost in training on Monday, while Declan Rice is fully fit after being sent off against Croatia. Tuchel will therefore have to choose from a full squad and will have to make some difficult decisions.
Rashford or Anthony Gordon? Saka or Noni Maduke? Should Marc Guehi be included after his inconsistent defense in the first half on Thursday? That’s what a Mirror Football writer would do.
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Andy Dunn
Introducing British trivia. Marcus Rashford won 73 caps. With 73 caps under his belt, how many full caps has he played for his country?
Eleven, that’s it. Eleven. 41 of his appearances for England came as a substitute. Over the past decade, he has started 32 games and came on as a substitute in 21 of them.
In short, he never really had Gareth Southgate’s full trust. Thomas Tuchel may be more of a fan, but he still preferred Anthony Gordon in his starting XI for the World Cup. However, Gordon did not do enough to stay ahead of Rashford, while Rashford did enough to start ahead of Gordon. Rashford looks like a coiled spring, ready to unleash his frustration at Barcelona’s somewhat unfathomable snub.
Marcus Rashford scores from the bench against Croatia (Image: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Let us know what you think. Who would you choose against Ghana? Comment below.
Nico O’Reilly should start again after appearing in a threatening position against Croatia, but they need athletic and reliable coverage on defense. Therefore, Mark Gehi should be preferred over John Stones.
England will need Bukayo Saka in their eleven as the tournament progresses, but fitness considerations mean it is safest to use him from the bench in this group stage.
My XI: Pickford. James, Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly. Anderson, Rice. Maduke, Bellingham, Rashford. Kane.
ryan taylor
Manager Thomas Tuchel is worried about his selection following the performance in the second half of England’s match against Croatia. I wouldn’t be surprised if they draft the same starting lineup before letting the same “finishers” do the job.
But I think they need to start Marcus Rashford, who is far more capable than Anthony Gordon. Gordon is a decent player – otherwise he wouldn’t have made the big-money move to Barcelona – but he can be really hot and cold. Rashford will likely be the starting left winger from now on.
Mark Gehi was ruled out of the first game (Image: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)
Defensively, Marc Gehi needs to come in and I would drop Ezri Konsa. It may be tough, but if you’re going to get John Stones, it doesn’t make sense to give up on him after one game. It’s also possible that Guehi could move into a left-sided centre-back role, with Stones shuffling across.
Other than that, I don’t plan on making any further changes for now. It’s too early to take risks Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke may not be on everyone’s radar, but they excelled against Croatia. If England win this game, this is where Panama can afford to make significant changes and evaluate other players.
My XI: Pickford. James, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly. Anderson, Rice. Maduke, Bellingham, Rashford. Kane.
john cross
My hunch is that manager Thomas Tuchel will stick to his winning formula. In the second half against Croatia, England played like any team I’ve ever seen in this competition.
So why the change at all? Personally, I’d like to see Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Marc Guehi start in England’s line-up. But one thing is for sure: England will never change throughout the tournament.
However, Noni Madueke performed well in that first match. Anthony Gordon is a good defender. And Ezri Konsa is Tuchel’s favorite. However, Guehi is calm on the ball, reads the game well and would be a good combination with John Stones.
Marcus Rashford is faster, more aggressive and in big games Tuchel’s ‘finisher’ plan for players to win games was very effective against Croatia.
Rashford and Saka would be more effective off the bench than Maduke or Gordon. Sadly, that may mean having to wait your turn. Saka is such an important big game player for England that he will definitely start as the tournament gets longer.
But this England team already looks pretty settled. That’s good.
My XI: Pickford. James, Konsa, Stones, O’Reilly. Rice, Anderson. Maduke, Bellingham, Gordon. Kane.
Do you agree with our expert opinion? Select XI…
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