Noise-cancelling headphones and disguises may be required by England's players in Mexico City if a place in the World Cup quarter-finals is to be won. The Azteca stadium sits at approximately 2,200m above sea level, posing significant altitude challenges for Thomas Tuchel's side.
Altitude and Acclimatisation Challenges
Experts suggest that for England to get used to playing in these conditions they either needed to have arrived there at half-time in their opening group game, or to have landed a minute before kick-off and got changed on the touchline – hoodwinking the body for just long enough to win in normal time before altitude sickness kicks in halfway through extra time. The altitude means Dan Burn will be 2,202 metres above sea level, and the Mexican hotel may give him a toddler single bed, legs poking out of the open window as home fans' car horns beep all night.
On the Guardian's World Cup Daily podcast, Dan Bardell suggested getting the cast of Dear England in to play the dummy squad – put them in the official hotel, and smuggle Harry Kane and co in a laundry basket to a backpackers' hostel down the road to ensure a good night's sleep.
Tactical Concerns and Expectations
There seems to be a growing realisation that playing Mexico in Mexico City will be incredibly difficult, that the Mexican team looks better than England, and that despite having lots of good players, England have all manner of issues. Suddenly expectations at a major tournament appear uncharacteristically realistic.
Djed Spence did not play well against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but he was not at fault for the DRC goal. He was dragged across because no one else was covering Noah Sadiki running through the middle. There is a structural problem across the entire midfield and defence – one which has been exposed already and will almost certainly be exposed again.
Team Selection and Tactics
It would be a wild decision to start Declan Rice at full-back. If all the other right-backs are injured, then is John Stones starting centre-back against a Mexican onslaught a bigger risk than keeping the Marc Guéhi-Ezri Konsa partnership in the middle and having Spence on the right? If Rice is fit, then the spine stays the same. Elliot Anderson has been quietly good so far, so it's only the wingers who can swap in and out.
It is very simple to say Noni Madueke and Marcus Rashford bad, Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon good, because the goals came when they were on the pitch. It just isn't that binary. The DRC players visibly tired in the last 20 minutes. None of the wingers have been particularly impressive so far.
Potential Game Plan
Given that no one will be able to breathe at the Azteca, Thomas Tuchel's tactics will be fascinating. Mexico start incredibly quickly, and there is an obvious danger in defending deep. But it might make sense to do that, conserve energy, and hit them on the break – with Kane dropping deep to link the play, something conspicuously absent so far. Maybe give the wingers a half each to completely exhaust themselves.
If England do go out in a Mexican haze at 3am in the UK, it will not be an embarrassment. Winning in Mexico would be a truly impressive achievement. But if England manage it then it's probably Brazil, Argentina and France all at sea level – easy, no Bolivian farmer is winning there.
