Unlock more from our team inside the England camp at the World Cup with a DailyMail+ subscription - brilliant exclusives, in-depth insight and analysisSee more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy DAILY MAIL SPORT REPORTERS Published: 02:00 BST, 26 June 2026 | Updated: 02:00 BST, 26 June 2026
The England hype train came to a juddering halt against Ghana on Tuesday.Thomas Tuchel's side couldn't follow up their dismantling of Croatia with an equally impressive performance and their 0-0 draw with the 65th-best team in the world leaves them with work to do against Panama on Saturday. In all likelihood, England will still top Group L. But they need to beat Panama convincingly to guarantee it and that means Tuchel may not shuffle his pack as much as he will have expected to. But what changes should he be making? Who deserves a chance from the start, and who deserves a spell on the bench?Here our England experts give their verdict on the starting XI Tuchel ought to pick against Panama. Do you agree? Make your case in the comments!Michael OwenDaily Mail Sport World Cup columnist
I’m going for full-on rotation, but my starting point is the XI I would pick for the last-32 tie. England should beat Panama with the team I have picked above, and that would allow my starters for the knockout rounds to have a rest.I’d stick with Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke, who have played the opening two matches, because I’d bring in Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka once we’re beyond the group stage.We’ve seen this week, important players are starting to pick up little niggles. We have to think long term, and our top stars should not be risked – or needed – against Panama.Oliver HoltChief Sports Writer
