According to Sky Sports, England's two matches against Croatia and Ghana had a combined Expected Goals Against rate of only 0.87, yet the team showed repeated defensive vulnerabilities in both games. With Reece James sidelined by injury, he is expected to miss the remainder of the tournament, and England's defence still needs to find cohesion.

Reports indicate that England revealed defensive issues in both of its opening two World Cup group matches. England's attack was blunt against Ghana, and the familiar struggles in the second group game returned, a performance particularly frustrating given expectations. However, Thomas Tuchel's most pressing challenge may lie at the other end of the pitch.

Against Ghana, England limited the opposition to just one shot on target throughout the match, and the combined Expected Goals Against rate across the two group games was only 0.87.

During the match, however, a reckless foul by Ngoyo on Prince Adu that should have been a penalty was overlooked by the referee. The decision proved highly controversial, with Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz even sarcastically questioning whether the VAR system was functioning properly.

In the previous match against Croatia, England struggled against an ageing side for the entire first 45 minutes. Only after Tuchel delivered an inspiring halftime address did the team gradually stabilise, though the defence still showed significant gaps. Had Harry Kane not struck late in the match, the team would have faced considerable anxiety.

England conceded no goals during World Cup qualifying, yet now facing two teams considered relatively uncompetitive in this tournament, their defence appears vulnerable. When stronger opponents arrive, the team will have limited time to adapt.

Reece James's injury compounds the problem further, as the right-back is expected to miss all remaining World Cup matches due to a thigh injury.

The saying "Attack wins you games, defence wins you championships" originates from American football but applies equally to football in the context of knockout matches in this World Cup.

Looking back at the first 32-team World Cup in 1998, five of the seven subsequent champion teams kept clean sheets five times, conceding only one goal across the remaining two matches. Spain in 2010 exemplifies this; they won all four knockout matches 1-0 and scored only 8 goals throughout the tournament, a stark contrast to the perception of that squad at the time.

Of course, exceptions exist. The 2022 world champions, Argentina, conceded 8 goals across the entire tournament—the most by a World Cup winner since West Germany in 1954—but they had arguably the greatest player in football history, who could compensate for defensive shortcomings through his brilliance in attack.

Even before this World Cup began, defence was a significant hidden concern for England. Most of the Three Lions' top talent is concentrated in attack, and while individual defenders possess strong abilities, overall weaknesses are inevitable.

Tuchel was aware of the limitations in his defensive setup. Against Ghana, he made two personnel changes, both focused on the backline, despite England controlling much of the match.

The manager explained: "Spence and Guehi deserve to play; they bring pace to the defence, and their characteristics better suit our needs."

Guehi played consistently for the full 90 minutes, but Spence failed to meet Tuchel's attacking expectations. In the 66th minute, Spence was replaced by Nico O'Reilly, who, while bringing offensive impetus, lacked the pace and defensive awareness of his predecessor. As a result, the team was exposed on the counter, and Ngoyo's controversial foul was a consequence of this substitution. Most of Tuchel's defenders face such compromises.

More concerning is that Ngoyo and Reece James are the only two defenders to start both group matches and are key stable players for England, yet Ngoyo showed defensive instability multiple times in both games.

Should they later face stronger opponents, England will of course adjust their defensive tactics, but in the first half against Croatia, the team was forced to defend deep for extended periods—a situation Tuchel wants to avoid. The entire defence-midfield connection was riddled with gaps.

From an attacking perspective, playing without the ball actually suits England. The team can rely on quick transitions and vertical passes to attack opponents, as best demonstrated in the second half against Croatia.

However, this playing style also exposes the team's defensive weaknesses. Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville explained after England's opening group match: "Declan Rice and Elliott Anderson must perform at their best to protect our defence."

Manager Tuchel constantly rotates his defensive personnel to find the right balance between attacking performance and defensive stability. Frequent changes to the backline and an unstable setup make it difficult for defenders to develop long-term understanding, inevitably hampering the establishment of a well-coordinated and stable defensive system.

Nonetheless, there remain plenty of objective reasons for optimism for the entire England squad and manager Tuchel. Of the seven champion teams since the 32-team World Cup format began in 1998, none kept a clean sheet throughout the group stage; every team conceded at least one goal in a group match.

Without exception, these champion teams gradually found their formations and team rhythm during the relatively less intense group stage, progressively resolving various coordination issues within the squad.

With the group stage not yet complete, this is a critical phase for the team to refine defensive details, address initial issues with formation integration, and repeatedly practise coordination among defenders. England still has the opportunity to remedy the defensive problems exposed in this phase.

As long as England beat Panama and secure first place in their group, they will face only third-placed teams from other groups in the Round of 16, whose overall strength is relatively limited. The team can use this knockout round to further improve coordination among their defenders.

However, should England progress to the Round of 16 in Mexico and subsequently face a strong team like Brazil with world-class attacking prowess in the quarter-finals, the strength of subsequent opponents will increase considerably. The margin for error will be infinitesimally small, and Tuchel will lose the opportunity to fine-tune his defence and make adjustments.

Currently, there are clear questions about the personnel combinations at every position in England's defence, and the overall stability of the backline is not guaranteed. As the tournament progresses and faced with various strong teams boasting world-class strikers, England's defensive resilience will face an extremely severe test. How these existing hidden vulnerabilities in defence can be resolved will become a core challenge for Tuchel, requiring deep reflection and effective solutions.

Übersetzt von KI.

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