Alan Shearer has urged Thomas Tuchel to make as many as four changes to England's starting lineup for their final World Cup group game against Panama, following a lacklustre goalless draw with Ghana in Boston. The former England captain believes the Three Lions have a point to prove after a performance he described as lacking edge, tempo, and quality in the final third.
England still on track but need improvement
Despite the disappointing result, England remain virtually guaranteed to qualify for the knockout stages thanks to their convincing win over Croatia earlier in the tournament. Shearer insists there is no need for panic, but he wants to see a significant improvement against Panama to rebuild momentum. 'I really expected us to go into the Ghana game and play with great belief and confidence and tempo and pace to the game, but it was exactly the opposite to that, there was no edge, everything was safe, everything was sideways or backwards,' Shearer told Betfair. 'There weren’t enough players going past their opponent one v one and whipping balls in. When we did get the chance to put crosses in for the vast majority of time, they were very poor crosses. There is plenty of improvement to be made if England are going to win the World Cup. But I don’t think there’s any need to panic. Our objective was to win the group, and we’ll still probably do that.'
Shearer's proposed changes
With England needing a positive result to secure top spot in Group L, Shearer believes Tuchel should consider changes at both ends of the pitch. He suggested bringing John Stones back in for Ezri Konsa to partner Marc Guehi in central defence, reinstating Nico O'Reilly at left-back, and replacing Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke with Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford on the wings. 'It wouldn’t surprise me if he brought Stones back in for Konsa so he and Guehi can have a chance of playing together. It wouldn’t surprise me if he brought Nico O’Reilly back in at left-back and changed the two wingers from Gordon and Madueke to Saka and Rashford. That would be a guess of mine of what he might do,' Shearer said.
Shearer criticised the team's lack of bravery against Ghana, noting that when facing a low block, players must be willing to deliver quality crosses. 'They’ve got to play with more tempo and pace to their game. When you’ve got that low block and I don’t care who you’re playing against, if they get that many men behind the ball and they’re really well organised it’s tough to break down. But you have to be brave, and you have to put balls into the box when you get the opportunity you have to take it, and I thought too many times they were really poor in that situation.'
Shearer predicted a 2-0 or 3-0 victory for England against Panama, saying: 'I think he’ll make three or four changes. I think we’ll see a more energetic performance.'
Injury concerns force potential changes
Tuchel may be forced into further alterations after Reece James missed training on Friday with a hamstring concern. Given James' injury history, England are likely to take no risks, with Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa, or Jarell Quansah potential replacements. Declan Rice, who is on a yellow card and managing a slight niggle, could also be rested, with Kobbie Mainoo poised for his first minutes of the tournament.
England are aiming to win the World Cup for the first time since 1966. Under former boss Sir Gareth Southgate, the team reached back-to-back European Championship finals, the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, and the quarter-finals in 2022.
