England failed to find a way past Ghana at the Boston Stadium on Tuesday night, struggling to cause any damage to their opponents or break through their stout defence.
Thomas Tuchel looks frustrated during England’s World Cup match against Ghana
England earned a point from an underwhelming World Cup Group L with a boring 0-0 draw with Ghana on Tuesday.
For most of the match, England’s possession did little to trouble Ghana, who sat deep and were content to let Thomas Tuchel’s side have the ball. The Black Stars also suffocated England with tough tackles that continually cut off the opponent’s flow and momentum.
At times, England took too long to create chances and were often counterattacked for the space they gained. In other matches, the quality of the final ball was not good enough. This is not a threatening message to a competitive rival team.
Low block struggles
Tuchel said before the game that England would have most of the possession, but even he could not have predicted how deep Ghana would play.
The Three Lions spent most of their first 45 games in Ghana’s half, frustrated. They had 80 percent possession and made 347 passes to Ghana’s 98, but didn’t have much to show for it.
Only a few times they breached Ghana’s last line. Madueke’s reverse ball created a good opportunity for Reece James, but his cutback to Gordon was blocked and cleared. Late in the second half, Maduke got past the full-backs and thrust the ball into the air, but Rice headed it home. A quick pass unlocked Kane at the end of the first half, but his half-chance and shot were blocked.
England were also guilty of taking too long. Gordon was supposed to take a shot 15 minutes into the game, but instead passed to Anderson. The Nottingham Forest midfielder took too much touch and his shot was blocked.
England’s first shot on target did not come until the 57th minute.
Ghana took a tough stance against England (Image: Getty Images)
tough ghana
On the low blocks, Ghana did a good job of continually breaking up the game. They were physical.
Bellingham, Rice, James, Kane and Anderson all took to the deck multiple times. Some were fouls, some were not. Bellingham glared at his rival after being shoved in the back (more on that later), while Anderson spread his arms after being slapped by Antoine Semenyo.
Every one of them spoiled England’s momentum, whether a foul was awarded or not. England struggled to stop and start the game as Ghana brought their opponents to the ground.
Anderson was targeted early in the second half, going down twice in the first 10 minutes. Kane was brought down in the 63rd minute after a particularly heavy tackle from Partey.
Jude Bellingham’s frustrations sometimes took a toll on him (Image: Getty Images)
bellingham head
It’s easy to forget that he’s only 22 years old, which explains why he still needs to mature a bit.
Wayne Rooney’s anger helped spark some of his most iconic moments. However, along with his stunning volley against Newcastle, he was also sent off against Portugal. Bellingham needs to get this balance right.
His frustration led to a particularly bad second half challenge at the end of the first half. This then sparked when he started an altercation with the Ghanaian bench.
Ghana’s head coach, Carlos Quiroz, is an experienced man and if he can move on from the England star, he will. More than once flashes of anger flared in Bellingham’s face. What he definitely doesn’t need is a reckless yellow, or one that could trouble England even more.
Perhaps sensing this, Tuchel forced Bellingham to relive his mission in the 73rd minute.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has more questions than answers (Image: Getty Images)
Question for Mr. Tuchel
Tuchel will have seen his team make a fuss and fail to produce much against Ghana. It was only when it dawned on them that England might draw the game that they recovered a bit. Still, there were no clear chances apart from O’Reilly’s header which hit the bar.
He left Boston with more questions than answers.
Where can Britain find its spark of creativity?
How do we defeat the next team that plays low blocks?
Against more attacking teams, he may not need to worry as England will have more time to breathe in attack. However, this is a conundrum that Tuchel will have to solve.
Noni Maduke occasionally managed to break through Ghana’s last line (Image: Getty Images)
some bright sparks
There weren’t that many, but there were some notable performers.
Spence deserves praise. He joined the team because of his speed and defensive spirit, and played lively on the left side. A great recovery run early in the second half saved Gordon after the winger missed a chance to clear the ball. O’Reilly was substituted in the 66th minute.
Maduke also provided a spark in the side. A lot of switched balls went to his feet and he was able to exploit the opposition. It was crowded at times, but at least the dribbling provided a moment of excitement.
A good cross from Saka midway through the second half could have given us a better result.
England’s defense also looked solid overall.
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