NEW YORK, June 30 — England coach Thomas Tuchel appears likely to reshuffle his side once again as it prepares to face Democratic Republic of the Congo in the round of 32 at the World Cup.
Although England defeated a well-drilled but limited Panama 2-0 to ensure it finished top of Group L, the win did little to ease doubts over its ability to break down disciplined low block defenses after its 0-0 draw with Ghana.
It took two moments of quality from Jude Bellingham to open the scoring with a smart finish from a corner and then set up Harry Kane for England’s second goal.
Meanwhile, England may not have conceded a goal, but its defense left spaces that more clinical teams might have exploited better than Panama.
The good news for Tuchel is that midfielder Declan Rice should be fit after being rested against Panama with a slight calf problem. Rice should bring greater consistency in midfield alongside Elliot Anderson, with Morgan Rogers dropping back to the bench.
Reece James’ hamstring injury means he is still unavailable at right-back, and after Jarell Quansah twisted his ankle on Saturday, Djed Spence is expected to play on the right of England’s defense, with Nico O’Reilly on the left.
Spence’s overlapping runs could create more space in attack, though whether he links up with Bukayo Saka or Noni Madueke remains to be seen, with Saka looking short of match fitness against Panama and Madueke failing to impress.
Marcus Rashford was arguably England’s liveliest player against Panama and should keep his place on the left wing ahead of Anthony Gordon.
DR Congo can be seen as a benchmark of how much African football has improved, reaching the round of 32 with a win against Uzbekistan, a creditable draw against Portugal and a narrow 1-0 defeat to an impressive Colombia in the group stage.
Competing as Zaire in 1974, DR Congo was the first Sub-Saharan African nation to compete in the World Cup finals, although that appearance ended with three defeats, including a 9-0 thrashing by Yugoslavia, and included a bizarre moment when defender Mwepu Ilunga ran out of a defensive wall to kick away a free kick awarded to Brazil.
With players such as Cedric Bakambu, Noah Sadiki, Yoane Wissa, Axel Tuanzebe and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, a former England under-21 international, and five footballers playing in France, this is a very different team from 52 years ago and one England will have to be wary of. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
