Thomas Tuchel has been urged to freshen up his England side for their third-place play-off against France and bench two key players. England saw their World Cup hopes come to a shuddering halt on Wednesday as they were knocked out in the semi-finals by Argentina. The Three Lions ultimately paid the price for a nervy performance in the final 30 minutes as late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez secured a 2-1 win for the defending champions, who now face Spain in the final.
But despite their defeat, England’s tournament is not quite over yet as they now have to face France in a third-place decider in Miami on Sunday. Didier Deschamps’ side were handily beaten by Spain in their semi-final as they missed out on reaching the World Cup final for a third successive tournament. Both sides are expected to make several changes to their starting line-ups for Saturday’s encounter after a gruelling six-week tournament which came off the back of a lengthy club season for many French and English players.
Glen Johnson calls for Rice and Kane to be rested
Former England defender Glen Johnson believes Tuchel needs to protect some of his key players, in particular Declan Rice, who has dealt with injury and illness throughout this World Cup. ‘You can see by the end of the game against Argentina that the players were out on their feet and I think all the squad want to now get on holiday after a long domestic season and a long World Cup camp,’ Johnson told Metro. ‘I don’t see them being bothered about this game, it’s just something they have to be professional about and still go about preparation in the same way as you don’t want to pick up an injury that keeps you out the start of the season.’
‘I can’t see Rice playing at all. He has been carrying an injury, has been unwell during the tournament and had a very long season with Arsenal, so I don’t see him being involved. ‘It is definitely a game to give those who haven’t played minutes for sure, so I’d start Mainoo, especially in the middle of midfield where you will need fresh legs against France.’ And further forward, Johnson believes the time may have come to give captain Harry Kane a rest, even if there is a possibility that it could be his last-ever World Cup match. ‘I could see Bellingham playing, but I think Kane may not play as Watkins and Toney haven’t played much and their freshness could help the team,’ Johnson, speaking via casino.org, added.
Lescott urges strong lineup despite emotional toll
Not everyone shares Johnson’s sentiments, however, with fellow former England defender Joleon Lescott urging Tuchel to put out his strongest side and use the game as a real learning opportunity. ‘Tuchel should look at this game as if it could be the Euros final in two years’ time against France,’ he told Metro via Unibet Casino. ‘So how do we prepare for that? This could be the same team and it could be the same players. ‘The players will want to win. I don’t care who he selects. They’re all going to want to win, and the same goes for France. I don’t think he’s going to look at it and think, “Well, let’s just give players minutes for the sake of it.”‘
Lescott, though, fears that the manner of England’s defeat to Argentina will weigh heavy on the shoulders and minds of Tuchel’s players on Saturday. ‘I think emotionally it will be a far more difficult process than physically because, physically, they would have been able to prepare,’ he added. ‘They’ve done enough to prepare if they had got to the final, so the physical aspects would have been in place. And the processes will still be there. ‘But the emotional side, you don’t prepare for this. It’s not something you want to prepare for, and you can’t. You only prepare for it when it happens, and it’s a negative outcome. ‘The only plus is that France are in the same boat. They equally have a negative perception of the way they’ve performed, having been knocked out by the Spanish team.’
