England vs Congo DR: Tuchel backs Saka to finish the game

Thomas Tuchel's clearest message before England vs Congo DR was simple: Bukayo Saka will be used later, not from the start. England go into the round of 32 with Reece James and Jarell Quansah unavailable at the start, and Tuchel sounded far more focused on control than concern.

Tuchel's injury rethink

Tuchel made three changes to the England side that beat Panama at the weekend. Saka started that win and provided an assist for Jude Bellingham's opening goal, so there is no sense in overreading the bench call. The plan is to keep him back for the closing stages, which fits Tuchel's own line, "It tells you that Bukayo will finish the match for us".

He was equally clear about the absences. "We would love to have Reece with us, we would love to have Jarell with us, but they're injured at the moment so other players will step up and we will push this over the line tomorrow as a team no matter what happens," he said. Quansah missed out with an ankle problem after limping off against Panama, while James and Quansah trained away from the group on the eve of the fixture.

The right side still looks manageable. Tuchel also said, "Djed has had minutes in every match, so no problem at all." That is the practical read of his team news, he is not treating the injuries like a crisis.

England's structure and the selection call

England have conceded 2 goals in their last 5 World Cup matches and kept 2 clean sheets in that run. They have also won 3 of those 5, which is the kind of record that gives a manager room to make changes without tearing up the shape.

Declan Rice has joined the remaining members of the squad in training ahead of the DR Congo match, and Tuchel's tone around the group was equally steady: "First of all, I trust my players. I’ve seen them since weeks, I picked them and that’s what football is all about. You have injuries." Rice said of his own fitness, "I'm good, genuinely, I'm good," after a hamstring concern.

The other selection issue is further forward. Marcus Rashford is set to start ahead of Anthony Gordon, while Tuchel also said England can adjust to a compact Congo DR side. That points to a match where Saka's minutes still matter, but the first decision is about keeping the structure intact before turning to the bench.