Paul Scholes has turned England's last-32 tie with Congo DR into a midfield argument. He wants Elliot Anderson to start ahead of Declan Rice, and the debate has the advantage of happening before a ball is kicked, not after a mistake has already been made.

Scholes' case for Anderson

Scholes was blunt on football365.com. "England don't need to play two sitting midfielders in the next game. No disrespect to Congo but in those type of games you play as many attackers as possible. I think it has to be a straight shootout between Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, and I think I would just go with Anderson," he said.

He also argued that Anderson would "pass it forward a bit more" and suggested Rice's club form at Arsenal has not fully carried over for England. That is a fair challenge, but it is still an opinion more than a verdict. Rice was rested for the Panama game because he is carrying a knock, so Tuchel's decision will also have to account for fitness.

The tournament numbers give Scholes some cover. Anderson has a 7.5 World Cup rating, while Rice is on 7.13. Harry Kane has three goals in three World Cup appearances, and Jude Bellingham is at 7.8, which is why the shape debate matters more than any one name.

Congo DR's belief and preparation

Chancel Mbemba has taken the opposite route to the pundit noise and pushed the focus back onto Congo DR's own run. He told the Mirror: "We know full well that we will be up against a top team. We know all about the qualities of the next opponent. We need to recover well, but we will keep working hard to be ready."

Mbemba is Congo DR's most-capped player with 112 appearances, and that gives him the right kind of authority for this sort of message. The camp have also had to deal with unusual preparation, training in Belgium for their pre-World Cup camp because of an Ebola outbreak back home.

Sebastian Desabre put the run in even broader terms. "It was all about sacrifice. And we continue to have belief in our ability. To tell you the truth, I'm delighted for the lads. They've been working on this project for the last four years. So I'm incredibly proud of them," he said.

Congo DR's path has included beating Nigeria 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the CAF World Cup play-off final in November. That does not make them England's equal on paper, but it does explain why Mbemba and Desabre are framing this as a side that expects to compete, not simply survive.

The more interesting call is still Tuchel's. Scholes has made a public case for Anderson, Nicky Butt has argued the other side, and Rice's knock adds another layer to a selection decision that should shape England vs Congo DR on Wednesday.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →