Deeply ingrained into the English psyche is a fear of failure. After dazzling in their opening match of this World Cup and dispatching Croatia 4-2, some felt a sense of foreboding when Ghana held Thomas Tuchel’s side to a 0-0 draw.Then Panama stood firm for an hour and, with Croatia scoring first against Ghana in the other Group L match, England temporarily dropped from top spot. Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane struck on 62 and 67 minutes respectively for three points and immeasurable relief.A round-of-32 match against DR Congo means facing another back-five opponent. England’s ability to create is going to be tested again.DR Congo defending in a 5-3-2 vs PortugalThose already looking to the round of 16 are seeing banana skins, with either Mexico or Ecuador next up if England beat DR Congo. That match would be played at Stadio Azteca in Mexico, and the co-hosts were perfect in the group stage on home soil. Ecuador, meanwhile, qualified with the best defensive record in South America, only conceding five times in 18 matches.Are England so focused on beating better teams that they are struggling against weaker ones? And might this be exposed before they can even make it to the deeper rounds?The answers to those questions are ‘not really’ and ‘probably not’, even if there’s justified criticism that Tuchel prioritised physicality, athleticism and versatility over technical quality.His omissions of attacking midfielders Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, two left-footed talents and long-shot threats, were because both endured difficult campaigns in 2025-26. He played them as dual No 10s when Kane was unavailable against Japan in March, and they struggled as England lost 1-0 at Wembley.Leaving out creative full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Lewis Hall was much more egregious. England had major problems without a natural left-back at Euro 2024. Using Djed Spence as a right-footer in that position in the Ghana draw made them look imbalanced — they had 78.8 per cent possession, their highest on record in a World Cup match (Opta’s data only stretches back to 1966), and the most by any side who failed to score.England needed outstanding crossers to break Ghana down from outside their 4-1-4-1 block. There was no space for players like Foden or Palmer to receive centrally.“I cannot engage this after a draw,” Tuchel said with a shake of the head in his post-match press conference. He’d been asked about the players he left out.“Things don’t go well and then the guys on the bench or the guys at home are the ‘winners’. That’s not it.” He namechecked Spain, Brazil and Portugal as big nations who all drew their opening match.Bellingham and Kane struggled against Ghana, the latter firing a half-volley rebound over on 89 minutes — it was the chance of the game and came about because substitute left-back Nico O’Reilly had headed Bukayo Saka’s cross onto the bar.Problems are compounded by injury to Jarrell Quansah, who started at right-back in the Panama win, and by the fact that none of England’s four wide players — Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Saka and Marcus Rashford — have yet delivered a match-winning performance.