England’s 0-0 draw with Ghana on Tuesday turned a routine march into a more awkward test, and Thomas Tuchel now has to solve Panama without the cushion of having the group wrapped up early. The draw left England short of a game to spare, while Declan Rice is one booking from a ban and Reece James is out at right-back for at least two games with a hamstring injury.
That is why England Vs Panama is being searched now. England were expected to have a straightforward second step after Ghana, but the deadlock changed the mood around a match that now carries more weight for selection and control. Tuchel still has to decide whether to rest Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham or other senior players, and whether the line between prudence and progress shifts after a scoreless night.
The biggest immediate problem is at right-back. James has already been ruled out, Tino Livramento has left the camp, and Trevoh Chalobah has come in. That leaves Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah and Djed Spence as the main alternatives in a role that could shape how England attack a side expected to sit deep. If Tuchel wants continuity, he must borrow it from somewhere else on the pitch.
England have not hidden their discomfort against compact defences. They were exuberant against Croatia, Serbia and Wales when given space, but laboured through qualifying against Andorra, Albania and Latvia, and Panama’s shape offers a similar sort of problem. Thomas Christiansen’s side are already out after 1-0 defeats by Ghana and Croatia, which makes the contest look tidy on paper but harder in practice for an England side that has been sharper when opponents open up.
There is also the matter of how Ghana handled the leaders. Thomas Partey stayed close to Harry Kane and limited him to 19 touches, a reminder that even dominant possession can turn flat if England do not move the ball quickly enough or threaten enough from wide areas. Kane has usually been the fix for this kind of match, but the last game showed how little room there is when the opponent closes the middle and waits for mistakes.
Tuchel’s task now is less about preserving energy than avoiding another slow first step. England beat Croatia 6-1 before another second-game stumble at a major tournament, and the pattern is clear enough to worry him: the team can look fluent when the game opens, then stall when the structure tightens. Panama will not change that structure for them, so the answer has to come from England’s selection, their tempo and the player Tuchel trusts to start breaking the block.
If England want Panama to be a reset rather than another warning, Tuchel has to find a right-back solution and decide which senior names can afford a rest without making the match harder than it already is.
