Thomas Tuchel has spoken a lot about his NFL-style ‘special team’, a unit of attacking reinforcements deployed when chasing a game. What he has failed to mention is the need to parachute in such specialists in defence, and that is why England will ultimately land on thorny ground here in North America.
The logic behind his offensive assembly is sound. Between Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins there is a cocktail of chaos and composure to find a goal when needed. Even Dan Burn, a centre back, is part of Tuchel’s blue-light brigade.
But what happens if England have something to protect? That is when the omission of Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire, at the expense of Djed Spence and Jarrell Quansah, starts to feel like a miscalculation.
Tuchel’s reserve full backs, Spence and Tino Livramento, are better and more comfortable on the front foot than back. If anything, you would bring them on when chasing a goal. So, who comes into the backline at 1-0 up when trying to close out a knockout tie? Shaw and Maguire, with a century of caps and seven major tournaments between them, have the experience and defence-first mindset to lead such a resistance. They have just enjoyed strong, low-mileage seasons with Manchester United. They have form and fitness on their side.
