Manager Thomas Tuchel has given a harsh verdict on Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford. Tuchel then went on to sensationally criticize left-backs Nico O’Reilly and Jed Spence, admitting that the left wingers “don’t offer the same quality”.
Tuchel believed that Gordon’s performance in the final warm-up game against Costa Rica had resolved the issue, but said there was not enough “connection and penetration” on either side in the first group game. Three Lions boss Tuchel also revealed that Marcus Rashford has not been productive despite starting games, but also stressed that the full-back position is a real issue, which explains why he omitted O’Reilly in place of Spence against Ghana.
Tuchel made the harsh accusation on the left wing after allowing Rashford to speak after being asked about his chances of starting against Panama.
“Marcus is in a good position, but when he started he wasn’t as decisive as Anthony, that’s all,” Tuchel said.
“In the match against Costa Rica, we had a very good game with Anthony and the unit. It’s not so much the individual but the left wing unit or ‘the wingers didn’t do their job well enough.’
“The left side unit hasn’t provided the same quality as against Costa Rica. They were very good. When I watched the game against Costa Rica, I thought, ‘Okay, the left side is solved, this unit, they found the link.’
“Then Marcus came in on the left side with Eberechi Eze and Jed Spence and they played really well. So I thought, ‘Oh, we have two units. They know what they’re doing and they’re doing well.’
“Playing the first game, I could see that my opponent wasn’t meshing well. I don’t know why, but it wasn’t the same amount of connection, the same amount of penetration, the same amount of verticality. And this was the same in the second game.”
“I don’t know why. I still believe in all of them and believe they will get better. Marcus is very good off the bench and sometimes it’s good to hold someone back.”
“He struggled to have the same impact on us from the beginning, but he was always pushing from the bench.
“So many times we talked about him and you said, ‘You have so much faith in him, but what are the results?’ Yeah, but he’s been there because he’s worked hard.
“He’s in a good position, he’s pushing, he’s a candidate to start, but whoever plays, generally the left side needs to click a little more and provide a little more threat.”
