Thomas Tuchel's England were brought crashing back to earth after a drab 0-0 draw against Ghana, just days after their thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia raised expectations. Ghana's deep 4-1-4-1 formation proved an insurmountable barrier as the Three Lions enjoyed 78.2% possession but managed only three shots on target from 19 attempts.
Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz took evident pleasure in suggesting, several times, that England had "no solutions". Tuchel admitted the difficulty: "It is difficult to find a way through when someone plays a 4-5-1 and completely deep and is committed to it and they celebrated a 0-0 like a win." He added: "You cannot lose your head about it."
“England's goalless draw with Ghana exposed a lack of creativity, prompting Jamie Carragher to question Thomas Tuchel's decision to omit Cole Palmer.”
England's best chance came late when Nico O'Reilly's header hit the bar before Harry Kane smashed the rebound over. Bukayo Saka, introduced for the subdued Anthony Gordon after 65 minutes, forced a fine late save from Ghana goalkeeper Benjamin Asare. Jamie Carragher, speaking at half-time, claimed Tuchel would be regretting his decision to leave Chelsea's Cole Palmer out of the 26-man squad. "When Bellingham and Rice play between the lines against a defence set-up like this, you either need a bit of magic from them outside the box, or the wingers to deliver far more," Carragher told The Telegraph. "Rice and Bellingham are all about power and energy; they aren't magicians in the spaces between the lines. If this continues, the debate will start regarding Cole Palmer's absence."
Carragher described the draw as a "huge reality check" but noted that England remain top of Group L and "99 percent certain to win the group" with Panama to come. Declan Rice echoed the post-match mood: "We still have a great chance to top the group against Panama, so positivity all round." Rice was later seen limping, adding an injury worry. England were also fortunate to escape a penalty appeal when Ezri Konsa challenged Prince Kwabena Adu, with Queiroz left bemused as VAR did not intervene.
The early evidence suggests Saka and Marcus Rashford could take the wide positions for Saturday's clash against Panama, as Tuchel faces questions over his side's lack of creativity against compact defences.