Thomas Tuchel still does not know his best England team after three World Cup games, former captain Alan Shearer has warned, as the side prepare to face DR Congo in the round of 32 on Wednesday.
England topped their group but have arrived in the knockout stage with so much chopping and changing that they are "no closer to knowing what our best team is", Shearer wrote in his BBC column. The head coach has tried nine different full-back and winger combinations across 270 minutes, involving eight players, partly because injuries to Reece James and Jarell Quansah at right-back, and Bukayo Saka not being fully fit, have disrupted plans.
“Alan Shearer says Thomas Tuchel still hasn't found England's best XI, with nine different flank combinations, ahead of Wednesday's World Cup knockout against DR Congo.”
"The reason Tuchel has tried so many is that he has not quite worked it out yet," Shearer said. The constant changes have also affected defensive stability, with England looking "uncomfortable whenever teams have attacked us".
Yet there have been positives. Elliot Anderson was "absolutely superb" against Panama, Jude Bellingham was man of the match, and Harry Kane got his goal again. Along with Jordan Pickford and Declan Rice, they provide a reliable spine. Shearer noted England have relied on set-pieces – Bellingham turned in Saka's corner against Panama – and on big players producing magic moments when needed. But the system has not created consistent open-play chances.
Wednesday's match against DR Congo in Atlanta (5pm kick-off) presents new selection dilemmas. The Mirror asks: where best to play matchwinner Bellingham? Which wide forwards work best with Kane? Who is fit enough to play right-back?
Tuchel, said Shearer, still has "quite a lot to sort out" before the knockout tie. The question is whether he can find solutions in time.