Tuchel Stresses England Must Find Goals Beyond Saka, Yet Relies on His Presence

Thomas Tuchel acknowledges that England cannot depend solely on the returning Bukayo Saka to solve their World Cup scoring problems, but he emphasizes how crucial Saka’s involvement is.

Saka has come off the bench in both opening matches, providing an assist for Marcus Rashford’s fourth goal against Croatia, but he was unable to help England break the deadlock against Ghana after entering with thirty minutes remaining.

The manager suggested that, if Saka’s recovery from a long‑term Achilles injury continues as expected, he could start the upcoming game against Panama in New Jersey on Saturday. “He seems more ready each day and, hopefully, will push. We’ll see,” Tuchel said.

Tuchel is clear that the pressure should not be placed on the Arsenal winger: “It’s not that Bukayo returns and everything is solved, and I don’t want to burden him with that expectation.”

“He’s a top‑class player, which is why he’s in the squad, and he will get his minutes. We need him desperately, just like every other player, in top condition.”

“Everyone is giving their best, and it’s not the time to single out individuals. We are still in a good place.”

England sit atop Group L on goal difference, level on points with Ghana after a goalless draw. With both teams tied on the FIFA head‑to‑head criteria, the outcome of their final group matches—England versus Panama and Ghana versus Croatia—could force a penalty shoot‑out to decide who progresses.

Tuchel admits the disappointing draw makes it harder to rest key players for the last group game, though he remains open to rotating the squad. “I wasn’t sure we would do a full rotation, but I’m not shy about making changes if needed, albeit more moderate this time.”

John Stones Faces Battle to Regain Starting Spot

John Stones may need to fight to reclaim his starting role after Tuchel praised the partnership of Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa in the draw with Ghana. Stones started the 4‑2 win over Croatia but was benched for the midfield‑friendly fixture, with Guehi taking his place.

Tuchel entered the tournament with an open mind about his centre‑back pairing and now suggests Stones must work harder to re‑earn his spot.

“I like the centre‑backs [Guehi and Konsa] together,” Tuchel said. “It was a tough match; we allowed two dangerous counter‑attacks, and the credit goes to the team for the structure and discipline we maintained.”

Konsa narrowly avoided a penalty after a second‑half challenge on Prince Kwabena Adu, but the referee did not award a spot‑kick and VAR made no intervention.

Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz joked about VAR after the match, questioning whether it was still operational. “I have doubts because a clear penalty for Ghana was missed. They were very lucky,” he said. Tuchel responded that the incident was “could have, not should have,” when asked about a potential red card for Jordan Pickford’s collision with a Ghanaian forward.

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