Tuchel admits England's left flank is failing and demands more from Gordon and Rashford

Thomas Tuchel has delivered a pointed public assessment of England’s left flank, singling out Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford, Nico O’Reilly, and Djed Spence after back-to-back group-stage disappointments at the 2026 World Cup.

Speaking ahead of England’s third Group match against Panama at the MetLife Stadium, Tuchel said the left side had shown real promise in the pre-tournament friendly win over Costa Rica but had failed to replicate that form in either competitive fixture. “The unit on the left side hasn’t provided the same quality as they did against Costa Rica,” he said. “Not the same amount of connection, not the same amount of penetration, not the same amount of verticality — and this was the same in the second match.”

Tuchel was candid about Rashford’s inconsistency as a starter, though he stopped short of ruling him out against Panama. “When he started he was not as decisive as Anthony, that’s just it,” the England manager said. “He struggled to have the same influence for us from the start, and yet from the bench he was always pushing. He’s a candidate to start, but the left side in general, no matter who plays, needs to click a bit more and provide a bit more threat.”

The criticism of the full-back position explains Tuchel’s decision to drop O’Reilly in favour of Spence for the Ghana fixture, a change that ultimately made little difference as England were held to a goalless draw — a result that leaves them sweating on top spot in the group.

Tuchel also admitted he has yet to find the “perfect recipe” to break down defensively organised sides at this tournament. Panama, ranked 42nd in the world — 23 places above Ghana — are expected to adopt a similarly low defensive block, and Tuchel warned his side must be prepared for another difficult evening.

With qualification from the group still not secured, the pressure is firmly on England’s underperforming left side to deliver when it matters most.