England’s defensive woes: Thomas Tuchel needs to sort things out ahead of tough World Cup tests | Football News

England were held back against Ghana as the Three Lions’ second-leg curse struck again with perhaps the most vexing repetition – but do Thomas Tuchel’s biggest worries lie at the other end of the pitch?

England have conceded just 0.87xG in their opening two games and face just one shot against Ghana on Tuesday night.

However, on another night the Three Lions could not, and in fact, should have conceded a penalty for Ezri Konsa’s rushing challenge on Prince Adu that was inexplicably overlooked by the officials. The mistake was so good, it led to Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz jokingly asking if VAR was working at the time.

That’s after England were somewhat rattled for 45 minutes against a worn-out Croatia side before finding their feet with Thomas Tuchel’s Churchillian side’s talk, though still a few holes in the back. Without Harry Kane’s injury-time heroics, they could have faced a nervy last few minutes in Dallas.

For a team that didn’t concede a single goal in the qualifiers, being vulnerable on two sides no one expects to pull many trees in these finals is worrying, especially as time passes before the tough tests follow.

An injury to Reece James added to England’s woes, with the right-back likely to miss the tournament with a hamstring problem.

The phrase ‘offense sells tickets, defense wins championships’ was originally coined as an American football saying but in the world of this summer’s World Cup it is relevant to any playoff competition.

Going back to the first 32-team World Cup in 1998, five of the seven winners since have kept five points and conceded just one goal in their remaining two games. In 2010, Spain won each of their four matches with 1-0 victories and scored just eight times in the entire tournament, which was against their reputation at the time.

There is another way, when Argentina’s manager posted eight goals in 2022, the most goals in a World Cup win since West Germany in 1954 – but they had arguably the best player they have ever called on the other side.

Defense has been a question mark hanging over England long before the tournament. The Three Lions’ world-class options are loaded up front at the other end of the pitch and while there is quality in each at the back, there are undoubted limitations.

Tuchel knows the limitations of his defenders and it is interesting that he made two changes during their draw with Ghana in a game England could have won with the ball.

“Jed Spence and Marc Guehi deserve to play, we have more speed and more profile in the players,” was the manager’s explanation.

While Guehi was assured over the 90 minutes, Spence lacked the attack that Tuchel wanted. He was then caught after 66 minutes by Nico O’Reilly, who could have provided an attacking presence but lacked the same pace and defensive awareness – leading to a counter-attack for which Konsa should have been punished. Most of Tuchel’s options in defense reflect that kind of trade-off.

Another concern is that Konsa, along with Reece James as the only defender to start both games and one of England’s regulars, had shaky moments in both games.

The Three Lions, of course, will defend differently against a bigger nation, but, against Tuchel’s wishes, they spent much of that first half against Croatia sitting low – and finding life difficult to cross the defense and midfield.

With a smart attack, playing off the ball can suit England by damaging the opponents with quick transitions and direct direct play, as shown by the second storm in the 45th minute against Croatia.

But it causes the problem of revealing a weak stomach. “[Declan] Rice once [Elliot] Anderson will have to step up and protect our defense,” he said Sky Sports’ Gary Neville during England’s opening game shock.

The head coach’s pick shows he’s still trying to find that right balance, even though he’s not doing much to help build a stable backfield.

But there are reasons for England, and Tuchel, to remain hopeful that things can click. Of the seven previous World Cup winners, all have failed to keep a clean sheet in at least one club game and five have conceded half or more of their tournament goals before being conceded.

This is the time to tune things out, fix those early teething problems and, hopefully, start building that understanding later.

If England do the job against Panama and win Group L, they will face the third-placed team in the last 32 and have another chance to play. But if a trip to Mexico follows in the last 16 and a match against Brazil in the quarter-finals, the testing period will be over.

In the end, those questions about England’s quality against the world-class leaders they will face later in the tournament will remain unanswered – and give Tuchel some important food for thought.