Thomas Tuchel's clearest message is that England's left side has not given enough connection or penetration. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon have both been part of that discussion, but Tuchel's complaint is really about the unit not clicking properly.

Tuchel's complaint about the left flank

The England manager said he thought the left side was solved after the Costa Rica friendly, then said the first two group matches lacked the same connection, penetration and verticality. He also said the left side had not provided the same quality as against Costa Rica.

Tuchel did not frame it as a simple Rashford problem. He said Rashford is very good from the bench and remains a candidate to start, but when he started he was not as decisive as Gordon. That is the line he kept coming back to, and it matches the feel of the wider complaint, which was about the flank as a whole rather than one player alone.

The ratings tell a similar story. Rashford's 6.07 came from a seven-minute cameo against Panama, while his 7.2 against Croatia came with a start. Gordon has swung as well, from 6.2 against Croatia to 7.24 against Ghana, which is enough to show why Tuchel is still searching for a cleaner answer on that side.

The Spence debate is still open

The same wider issue runs through Djed Spence's role. Tuchel said Spence's first start for England in a major tournament came against Ghana, and he has already used Nico O'Reilly there as well. Spence has made three World Cup appearances and played 110 minutes, so this is still an early experiment rather than a settled plan.

The debate around where Spence should play is not closed. Some of the source material treats him as a left-sided answer, while other reporting keeps the door open on the right, especially with the wider right-back picture still unsettled. Tuchel's own comments lean more toward what he wants from the left, namely wider attacking runs and more threat, but the exact long-term home for Spence is still a live question.

Tuchel's point is sharper than a single player verdict. Rashford has not consistently given England the same edge from the start, Gordon's output has moved from match to match, and the left side has still not produced the kind of sustained threat Tuchel wanted. England's next game will show whether he keeps the same combination or turns again.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →