{"id":662024,"date":"2026-06-28T01:40:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T01:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/662024\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T01:40:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T01:40:19","slug":"the-two-huge-issues-england-must-solve-before-world-cup-knockout-rounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/662024\/","title":{"rendered":"The two huge issues England must solve before World Cup knockout rounds"},"content":{"rendered":"

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England remain en route \u2013 and not just in terms of a hard-fought first place that may yet take them through to the Azteca.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the way they toiled to confirm it. Thomas Tuchel<\/a>\u2019s side were again dependent on Jude Bellingham<\/a>, a set-piece and a record-breaking Harry Kane<\/a>. The captain became England\u2019s record World Cup goalscorer, with an 11th that ultimately sealed a 2-0 win over Panama.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t so much football that people in the pub enjoy any more, mind, but one coming out of the more prosaic parts of coaching seminars \u2013 at least elevated by Bellingham\u2019s ingenuity.<\/p>\n

\"HarryHarry Kane and Jude Bellingham ensured England came through a tricky encounter with Panama (Getty)<\/p>\n

And if one increasing worry is how England have suddenly stopped creating space around the opposition area, they are offering up a lot around their own.<\/p>\n

It gives Tuchel two huge issues to solve, now this World Cup finally gets serious. A last-32 tie against either Senegal or Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/a> in Atlanta now awaits.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re going to have to do a lot of tactical work in between. This is suddenly a team that looks like it has gaps in many areas, especially defence and \u2013 for now \u2013 midfield. England missed Declan Rice<\/a> against a resolute Panama. The links weren\u2019t there, with Kane again marked out of the game until the first goal, and even Elliot Anderson more exposed.<\/p>\n

\"EnglandEngland endured a frustrating first half in New Jersey with Harry Kane dampened (AP)<\/p>\n

Panama were successfully finding openings at one end, and staying solid at the other.<\/p>\n

This is of course why Tuchel felt the need to rest Rice in the first place:<\/a> because they\u2019re going to badly need him. He\u2019s arguably less replaceable than Kane, and even now Reece James.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

There is nevertheless one other theory about that approach, and even the concerns that came from this win. Tuchel\u2019s idea increasingly looks like one built for the transitions that will be more apparent in games against the elite sides.<\/p>\n

Hence how Kane is so central, and not just as a goalscorer, but also the way his raking balls are intended to release pace out wide.<\/a> England may enjoy much more of that against sides who seek to control a match.<\/p>\n

\"ThomasThomas Tuchel has been left with issues to solve (Getty)<\/p>\n

That might totally stand to reason given the one thing that is now always said is that the real test is how England do against the first proper team they play, but the toughest challenge for now might be getting that far.<\/p>\n

Tuchel’s side have now toiled in two matches where they were expected to be in full command. And, yes, they had most of the control but couldn\u2019t really embellish it or take it on with any combinations.<\/p>\n

That was where the worry was. If Tuchel has talked enthusiastically about building an intense attack that gets people excited with forwards coming from everywhere, there was none of that here. By contrast, so many attacks broke down with the wrong pass or a bad option.<\/p>\n

As early as the 15th second, Tuchel was berating his captain for arching one of those passes straight out of play.<\/p>\n

Bukayo Saka<\/a> and Marcus Rashford<\/a>, back in the starting line-up, couldn\u2019t properly link up with those around them. Rashford at least offered England the urgency they needed, and it was his runs that at least increased the intensity before Bellingham\u2019s game-breaking goal.<\/p>\n

\"JudeJude Bellingham, red No 10, watches as his toe poke finds the net (Reuters)<\/p>\n

Before that, Bellingham himself had looked frustrated, and Morgan Rogers \u2013 in for Rice but playing as the 10 \u2013 actually couldn\u2019t get into the game.<\/p>\n

Ezri Konsa was again exposed.<\/p>\n

A central issue, so to speak, might be the one at right-back. With Jarell Quansah in for Reece James,<\/a> over Djed Spence, England just didn\u2019t have any mobility. They were so flat.<\/p>\n

So, they sought to curl in a set piece. On 62 minutes, Saka hit one of his corners, and there was Bellingham to finish. The surprise was that it wasn\u2019t a header. Maybe it couldn\u2019t be against this Panama defence.<\/p>\n

Because, after a long period where Thomas Christiansen\u2019s side looked so physically imposing at the back \u2013 and much stronger than England \u2013 they were suddenly undercut. There was almost an incongruity to how Bellingham deftly turned the ball in on the spin, after so many battles.<\/p>\n

It was the little touch of quality that was required. With Panama\u2019s gameplan rumbled, Kane headed in Bellingham\u2019s own cross moments later. Some momentum was back, even if it was never close to the feeling of that 15 minutes against Croatia.<\/a><\/p>\n

Whether England can regain it may actually depend on the opposition they face.<\/p>\n

\"BellinghamBellingham on the attack with Tomas Rodriguez in pursuit (Reuters)<\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s why the more leaden nature of these performances isn\u2019t a worry.<\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s what it\u2019s all building to.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s if they get that far. Because, before then \u2013 and a prospective quarter-final against Brazil in Miami \u2013 it\u2019s going to be more of this.<\/p>\n

England are suddenly built for games that they have to really battle to actually get to.<\/p>\n

They stay en route, but it all looks more difficult to navigate than had been anticipated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":662025,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":["post-662024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662024\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/662025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}