#Letakan iklan disini
Football Jul 10, 2026

World Cup 2026: Ghana draw a reality check for England but we need to trust Thomas Tuchel, says Paul Merson

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
World Cup 2026: Ghana draw a reality check for England but we need to trust Thomas Tuchel, says Paul Merson

Paul Merson says England's 0-0 draw with Ghana was "back to reality" for the Three Lions but the Your Site pundit insists we need to have trust in Thomas Tuchel to get it right.

Having kicked off Group L with a thrilling 4-2 victory against Croatia, England returned to earth with a bump six days later as their second group game ended in a draw for the fourth straight tournament.

But the result edges them closer to what is all but certain to be a place in the round of 32 and while Merson thinks there is still plenty to work on for Tuchel's side, he is backing them to deliver the further they go in the tournament.

Read the Magic Man's England verdict in full below...

It's back to reality. You can't score four in every game, but you'd expect to break them down in the end.

Ghana defended really well but we made it easier for them to do so.

That's something for Tuchel to look at, but you're not winning the World Cup in the second game of the tournament.

It's better to have those reality checks earlier in the tournament than later on.

A lot of these second game draws have been against teams who like to sit back.

We just find it difficult to break teams down. It's strange, really, because a lot of our players play for the top teams where everyone sits 10 players behind the ball against you.

It was Subbuteo football against Ghana. There wasn't a lot of movement.

Jude Bellingham was in the pocket and showing for the ball a lot, and there were so many times they didn't pass him the ball. When you watch Lionel Messi, they just play the ball into him wherever he is on the field. He plays one touch football and that touch takes two or three players out of the game.

They have to trust Bellingham more and get him the ball. He's a top player and he's getting into really good positions.

There's a lot to work on.

I just don't think we have that guile in midfield.

Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice are very similar players. They don't spray the ball around the pitch and we haven't got that passer in the team.

The lack of creativity is worrying. To have that much of the play and not use it, that will be a concern for Tuchel.

You've got to have movement. You've got to make runs off the ball to drag defenders around. The only thing that beats a defence is movement - but credit where it's due, Ghana defended amazingly. Every time we had a chance of scoring, they had three or four players blocking the ball.

However, you're looking at Cole Palmer and Phil Foden after a result like this - and that shouldn't be the case.

We need to have trust in the manager.

There are always ups and downs.

Croatia took us on and got punished, but Ghana were never going to do that. Panama aren't going to take us on.

We've got to have more belief. But we didn't take enough chances, and I thought this team was picked to have no fear.

I now don't see him resting too many players against Panama with the group still very much on the line.

England have to get going again. They need some continuity now after what was a bit of a bump in the road and that means they won't want to be disrupted by five or six changes.

They will not want another sloppy performance and will want to go into the last 32 off the back of a confident performance.

Tags:

football news

Share this article

Related Posts

World Cup 2026 quarter-finals: France vs Morocco, Spain vs Belgium, Norway vs England, Argentina vs Switzerland team-by-team preview

World Cup 2026 quarter-finals: France vs Morocco, Spain vs Belgium, Norway vs England, Argentina vs Switzerland team-by-team preview

The World Cup quarter-finals continue on Friday - and we're one step closer to knowing who will lift the trophy on July 19.To whet your appetite for t...

World Cup 2026: England set to get bank holiday IF Three Lions win World Cup - Paper Talk

World Cup 2026: England set to get bank holiday IF Three Lions win World Cup - Paper Talk

The top stories and transfer rumours from Thursday's newspapers...England will bag an historic Bank Holiday if the Three Lions lift the World Cup, Sir...

Andrey Santos: Manchester United agree £50m deal for Chelsea and Brazil midfielder

Andrey Santos: Manchester United agree £50m deal for Chelsea and Brazil midfielder

Manchester United have agreed a £50m deal to sign Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos.The agreement is broken up into a guaranteed £48m payment plus £2m...

Bruno Guimaraes transfer news: Newcastle captain tells club he wants to join Arsenal after World Cup exit with Brazil

Bruno Guimaraes transfer news: Newcastle captain tells club he wants to join Arsenal after World Cup exit with Brazil

Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes has told the club he wants to join Arsenal, it has been confirmed to Your Site News.Newcastle are not making any com...

Cristiano Ronaldo hits back at critics who 'retired' him and shuts down Lionel Messi question after starring in Portugal win

Cristiano Ronaldo hits back at critics who 'retired' him and shuts down Lionel Messi question after starring in Portugal win

Cristiano Ronaldo hit back at his critics after scoring twice in Portugal's 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan.In his side's , the 41-year-old had extended h...

Harry Wilson to Leeds United: Wales international makes Elland Road switch after leaving Fulham

Harry Wilson to Leeds United: Wales international makes Elland Road switch after leaving Fulham

Leeds have completed a deal to sign Harry Wilson on a free transfer following his departure from Fulham.  that Wilson had spurned interest from Aston...