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I have no idea how good England are, and it’s partly my job to know. If you think you have a handle on where Thomas Tuchel is, what his defence will be for the next match and whether we have actually played well or how Tuchel wants us to play yet, fair play.

England were good for one half against Croatia, no halves against Ghana and one half against Panama, albeit winning 2-0 was probably just about par for the course.

I would posit that this has been the most confusing England group stage of my lifetime. And here is why.

The lurches in performance

It didn’t feel inappropriate to praise England after the second half against Croatia. It was England’s most fluid major tournament performance against decent opposition since the 4-0 against Ukraine in Euro 2020. We thought we knew what this England team were going to be and we liked it.

And then they promptly went three halves of football against the third and fourth best teams in the group without scoring. And then when we were all preparing angry social media posts (guilty), England clicked and scored twice. So was the fun the exception or the truth? Are we a control team or a chaos team?

Breaking teams down

Perhaps this shouldn’t have surprised us, given England scored three goals in 180 minutes against Andorra in qualifying. But I think we can at least be certain that England struggle to break down low blocks because the wingers struggle to dribble past full-backs and Harry Kane isn’t really a poacher anymore.

But that certainty creates its own confusion. The assumption is that England will be better against stronger opponents because they won’t just sit deep, but why would any manager not just tell his team to soak up England pressure, provoke overcommitment of players and then hit us on the break? Will we be better against better or just lose to the first decent opposition?

The new manager

Lots of this uncertainty comes from having the first new manager at a major tournament since Roy Hodgson lost to Iceland. It has actually been a virtual mirror of the 2022 World Cup, when England got busy in the first game (6-2), drew the second 0-0 and won the third fairly comfortably but having been level at half-time.

But then Tuchel was supposed to be different. He still might be, if he proves himself capable of beating a high-end nation in a major tournament outside England. It’s just that the group stage have given us no reliable information as to whether that will happen or not.

The stars turning up

For all that England laboured in sections of all three group games, the general aim at a major tournament is to have your world-class attacking players involved in the most moments that matter.

England have played three games. Kane has scored three goals and Jude Bellingham has two. Bellingham has two man-of-the-match awards, Kane one. This is good, right? So why does it not quite feel right yet?

The right-backs

Every England melodrama needs a farcical storyline and England’s right-back situation is it. We’ve not picked the guy from Real Madrid. We’ve picked the two guys who are good but injury prone and one of them got injured and went home and the other got injured and is still there. We called up a central defender to play at right-back and now he’s injured too.

This may be something that we all look back on and laugh in a few months. It might also be a defining theme of England’s tournament. To clarify: again, no idea.

The opponents

I think this is an underrated element of the confusion. We are used to Croatia being really good and also solid defensively; they had a high defensive line and England won a chaos match against a side that looked way past its best. Ghana had been appalling for most of the last 12 months and then produced a phenomenal low block display under a new manager.

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• Michael Hincks: Joe Hart is saving the BBC’s World Cup

And we beat Panama 6-1 in 2018 to create unrealistic expectations and clearly they’re a competent team in most areas now. It’s one thing not knowing if your own team is playing well. It’s another not knowing how good your opponents are either.

The rest of the competition

England are here to win the World Cup. Everybody in the camp says as much. Inevitably you also look across to see how potential peers and challengers are getting on. That also clouds all logic.

France have been sensational in attack and seem viable favourites. England have scored more goals than Spain. Netherlands drew with Japan but then clicked. Same with Brazil against Morocco. Argentina have strolled through the groups but haven’t been tested yet. I don’t even know what to think about Germany and Portugal. This isn’t helping, is it?

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METLIFE STADIUM — It is job done for England after they dispatched Panama in New Jersey to book a knockout tie in Atlanta next week.

In teeming rain they made heavy weather of the first half but goals from man of the match Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane eased the nerves in the second half.

It answered questions about England’s inability to unlock low blocks but there is still a measure of uncertainty about how they’ll fare against the better sides in North America.

Those are questions for another day, though. For now, England can reflect on completing the first part of their World Cup assignment with the minimum of fuss.

Jordan Pickford – 6/10

I don’t know why but I feel a bit uneasy about Pickford at this tournament, even if this was a second successive clean sheet. Perhaps it’s because his distribution hasn’t been up to his usual high standards?

Jarell Quansah – 6/10

Didn’t do anything wrong but he’s no right-back, is he? A big worry that he limped off in the second half because England’s options in this role are dwindling.

Jarell Quansah is heading off…

Djed Spence comes on for the Three Lions pic.twitter.com/buT54CovSn

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 27, 2026

Ezri Konsa – 6/10

England looked a little vulnerable on the counter and that is something to watch when they take on the bigger teams. Konsa seems installed ahead of John Stones now.

Marc Guehi – 6/10

There is still legitimate questions about this defence against better sides given Panama had a couple of big chances in the closing stages in New Jersey. When he lost Jose Fajardo in injury time it nearly cost England a goal.

Nico O’Reilly – 6/10

He’s not going to let anyone down at left-back but we’re yet to see the side of him that had Manchester City fans purring in the run-in. Perhaps when they play better sides?

Elliot Anderson – 7/10

A new challenge for Anderson with the double pivot – and his midfield protection – gone but he prospered here. He covers so much ground it’s impossible not to be impressed.

Jude Bellingham – 9/10

Was it a fever dream or was there really a debate about whether Bellingham started before the tournament began? Always looked like the spark here and his instinctive volley got the ball rolling. Genuine world-class talent.

ENGLAND BREAK THE DEADLOCK!

Jude Bellingham taps in from a corner… The Three Lions top the group as it stands pic.twitter.com/WVtY6x5Qbb

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 27, 2026

Bukayo Saka – 7/10

Any England fan who criticised Arsenal’s set pieces should quietly delete those tweets. That’s two of the five goals they’ve scored here coming from Ashburton Grove. Saka’s return showed what we’ve been missing.

Morgan Rogers – 5/10

Hmm, there wasn’t a lot to get excited about here. Maybe he wasn’t deployed in his favourite role but you’d still expect more ball progression from a player with his devastating pace.

Marcus Rashford – 7/10

Did more, from an attacking perspective, in his first ten minutes than Anthony Gordon had done in two starts. But it was a bit of an erratic display with some profligacy mixed with some great stuff.

Harry Kane – 7/10

Not the all-action performance of Dallas but a third World Cup goal and he’s now the outright all-time top scorer in this competition for England. Remains Mr Reliable.

HARRY KANE MAKES IT TWO!

Bellingham turns provider and suddenly England are cruising

Kane becomes England's all-time top scorer at World Cup finals pic.twitter.com/cWdElDoCN2

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 27, 2026

Subs

Djed Spence – 6/10

England’s last man standing at right-back. He did fine but England will be worried about the number of injuries they’ve got there.

Noni Madueke – 6/10

Some nice flashes of pace as England stretched tired Panama legs.

Eberechi Eze – 6/10

Didn’t have much time to impress.

Read more

• England: I took England fans’ rip-off £75 train journey in the US
• Mark Douglas: Trust David Beckham to make the World Cup all about himself

Jordan Henderson – 6/10

Few minutes at the end felt like recognition for his work behind-the-scenes in the camp.

Ollie Watkins – 6/10

A few minutes at the end for England’s striking plan B.

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METLIFE STADIUM — On his day, there is nobody like Jude Bellingham. He is such an intricate talent, however, that unlocking his true potential is a challenge that can twist the greatest footballing minds into knots.

He has all the physical attributes to be a devastating No 10. His tactical awareness and in-game intelligence make him the perfect foil for a juggernaut of a goalscorer like Harry Kane too.

For England especially, Bellingham can drift in and out of the game all too readily as a staccato shadow striker. It has become the leitmotif of Thomas Tuchel’s England reign so far.

To his credit, Tuchel has failed to succumb to a problem that has stumped others who came before. His decision to move Bellingham deeper alongside Elliot Anderson against Panama, with Morgan Rogers playing off Harry Kane, was certainly a bold one.

It is not a system that the dogmatic German would perhaps deploy against elite opposition – effectively a front five – but Bellingham’s all-action, high-octane display – with one goal and sublime assist to fire England to top spot in the group – provided a potential answer to the quandary managers often find themselves in over the Real Madrid star.

Shifting to a flatter 4-3-3 should therefore be considered as England’s weapon of choice going forward. If a fit-again Declan Rice cannot be left out, and Anderson’s metronomic abilities are impossible to omit, then Bellingham alongside Tuchel’s go-to pair may well become that previously elusive winning formula.

The pouring rain in New Jersey gave the MetLife Stadium a home-game feel for England. A much-changed England would surely be energised by Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford’s return, against a team they thrashed 6-0 in their last World Cup meeting. This was, to all intents and purposes, a shoo-in, a matter of many England would score.

In the opening 45 minutes, Kane had 10 touches, fewer than any other player on the pitch. A top-heavy England looked vulnerable on the counter, while again struggling to break through a low block.

Rashford came close to breaking the deadlock on several occasions, but otherwise it was a familiar tale of England unable to make use of their possession domination to any great effect.

Panama are not the international backwater they used to be. Since that 2018 humbling in Russia, they have finished runner-up in the Gold Cup and Nations League, beating the United States in the latter semi-finals.

They still represented opposition a team as talented as England should put to the sword. Especially when the big players step up. Kane finally had an impact early in the second half, forcing a fine save from Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera, before Bellingham eventually made one count, volleying home from a Saka corner.

The sashay inside and clipped cross onto the head of Kane to secure victory was the difference between a nervy end and cruising into the knockout stages as group winners.

Dropping into wider positions to create such match-defining moments may not come about if operating closer to Kane, as an orthodox No 10. Engineering space is not an easy task on the international stage, but Bellingham’s change of position at least creates half spaces the very best thrive in.

Read more

• England: I took England fans’ rip-off £75 train journey in the US
• Mark Douglas: Trust David Beckham to make the World Cup all about himself

This set-up may be too kamikaze later on, but creating a role for Bellingham from deep is still possible.

The Panama experiment just about paid off, but the formula is not 100 per cent proof yet. One thing is for sure: Tuchel’s most pertinent task is to replicate Bellingham the deep-lying force again in the knockout stages.

The results could be devastating.

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England take on Panama in their final Group L game at the World Cup on Saturday night.

The Three Lions are in action at the MetLife Stadium, or the New York New Jersey Stadium in Fifa parlance, where the final will take place on 19 July.

England are looking to top the group tonight, but after an underwhelming draw against Ghana they have work to do.

Thomas Tuchel’s side lead the way in Group L on four points, the same as Ghana, who are in action against Croatia at the same time.

It could come down to goal difference, therefore, meaning England will look to put Panama to the sword as they did at the 2018 World Cup when winning 6-1 – Harry Kane scored a hat-trick on that occasion.

Follow live updates below

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The best saves from an England goalkeeper at this World Cup happen each time Joe Hart appears in BBC’s Salford studio.

Hart is saving BBC’s coverage, and while ITV may be winning the broadcasting battle, the Beeb could yet win the war thanks to his articulate insight.

The 39-year-old played in three major tournaments for England. He was handed his debut by Fabio Capello, was a mainstay of the Roy Hodgson era, and then lost the No 1 gloves under Gareth Southgate to current incumbent Jordan Pickford.

With 75 caps he knows what it means to wear the shirt, the weight it carries, and the pain that comes with it, given the dispiriting era in which he was England’s best goalkeeper.

And yet he does not give in to misery. Instead, while providing perspective from this often-overlooked position, Hart makes you think about the game differently, something every pundit should strive for.

Before England’s draw with Ghana, his segment on Pickford’s distribution against Croatia was comfortably the most enlightening part of the BBC’s build-up.

In less than three minutes Hart transformed the way I watched the 90 minutes that followed, tracking not only Pickford but how the movement in front of him was influencing his decisions. In a drab game, it was nice to have at least learned something.

At half-time, Hart even gave a reasoned response to the first-half hydration break not being called early. “I’m probably the person you don’t want to talk to Gabby, because I like clarity,” he told presenter Gabby Logan. “If it can’t be done until the 23rd minute, so be it, it takes away the conversation.”

Wait! We want hyperbole! We want anger! We want our pundits spitting feathers through our Ultra HD televisions! Except, many don’t, and though rare, rational views are only more vital in a world where hot takes get more airtime.

Hart also has the experience to boot. He may have been an unused substitute at the 2010 World Cup when Adidas’s Jabulani ball wreaked havoc on goalkeepers, but he would have been flummoxed by that bamboozling ball in training.

At the current World Cup, something similar is happening, with Adidas’ four-panelled Trionda ball leading to several goals where goalkeepers have got their hands to efforts but have been unable to keep them out. One Croatia goal against Pickford included.

“I’m seeing this goal way too many times for there to not be something up with that football,” Hart said, noting how the ball’s trajectory is catching goalkeepers off guard, their timing not quite right.

Hart knows, and evidently the BBC has clocked onto that too, with the former Manchester City goalkeeper dining at their top punditry table for England coverage alongside Wayne Rooney and Micah Richards.

Given his stature, Rooney is always going to be the go-to voice. The BBC is yet to release its 2025-26 pay list, but as their marquee signing after Gary Lineker freed up £1.35m in wages, it is safe to assume the ex-England captain is collecting a fair chunk of that money – hence the frequency in which they use him.

Hart is probably on considerably less than his former England teammate, but pound-for-pound no pundit is better on the BBC at this World Cup.

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He even brings the best out of Rooney, and while that may sound misguided footballspeak given this is a studio and not a pitch, Hart is the calming influence all goalkeepers need to be and makes his fellow pundits look more comfortable.

When Rooney took the lead on the first piece of video analysis after England’s draw with Ghana, Hart effortlessly weighed in. This was no shouting match, there was no finger-pointing, and mercifully there was no doom-mongering despite the result tempering expectations.

After all, Rooney and Hart have experienced the heat emanating from the media as players, so here they are setting the tone now they are pundits, making for a welcome post-match breakdown before louder noises surface elsewhere.

When possible the BBC should deploy Hart at any given opportunity.

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Don’t panic: that is the message emanating from Newcastle United sources after the turbulence of another week where the club’s best players have been linked with moves away.

Having already sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for nearly £70m, the club had long anticipated another one of their “big” players leaving in the close season.

Partly to satisfy financial fair play rules but also because the players themselves seem open to moving on, Newcastle have been working on the assumption that Gordon and at least one other player would go.

Sandro Tonali, who wants to explore options away from St James’ Park, always felt the most likely to go but this week has brought a flurry of damaging speculation surrounding talisman Bruno Guimaraes.

Club sources dispute that there has been any sort of offer from Arsenal for the Brazil international, reaffirming their stance that there has been “no contact” from the Gunners for Guimaraes until now.

The i Paper has been told that Newcastle’s approach remains that they will “not entertain” offers for their key midfielder and the reports come against the backdrop of a player who is interested in signing a new contract at St James’ Park.

But that does not mean that there is nothing to worry about. Guimaraes’s intermediaries are clearly testing the water to see what kind of interest there would be in the 28-year-old, and interest from Premier League champions Arsenal – and the prospect of Champions League football – are likely to appeal.

Newcastle’s asking price would be far higher than the £55m talked about, which is why it is probably a non-starter. But after the Alexander Isak saga last year, you would be hard pressed to find anyone offering guarantees on their skipper.

Newcastle insist they are continuing to “work to a strategic plan” and will not be put off by “noise” around transfers. Sales – even if the optics around them don’t look good – are part of that, with the intention to break up a group that has grown stale and smashing an over-reliance on a small pool of match winners in favour of a younger, hungrier team.

That sounds good and, in theory, selling a 28-year-old with two years left on his deal for big money might be logical. But Guimaraes is a different story, a midfielder who has a unique connection with supporters and one they are rarely able to win without.

And Newcastle also have to convince that they are able to close big incoming deals for the right price – something they have rarely done in recent years.

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Sources insist they are working on multiple “exciting” deals but being gazumped by Liverpool over No 1 winger target Victor Munoz last week contributed to a downbeat narrative around the club. Throw in doubts about Tonali and Guimaraes alongside Eddie Howe’s underperformance last season and it is a club in desperate need of some good news.

There is a belief that the market is being slowed by the World Cup – even Elliot Anderson’s long-expected move to Manchester City has dragged on because of his international commitments – but that does not mean a deal couldn’t be done before mid-July. Newcastle, it is understood, are hopeful of having another new signing on board before 13 July, when they return for pre-season.

But what is the likelihood of those being linked with moves away staying at Newcastle?

Sandro Tonali

Chances of leaving? 8/10

Newcastle probably need two to go this summer, given that they have breached Uefa’s financial fair play rules and need access to finances to reshape their squad. Tonali – who has interest from Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham – is the man most likely to go.

There has been no fresh offer from Spurs, despite the club believing that personal terms would not be a problem for Tonali. There is optimism in north London about the deal but Newcastle want “at least” £100m, which is where the transfer has stalled.

The optics of losing Tonali to Spurs would not be good, given they are one of the clubs that Newcastle had hoped to overtake.

Bruno Guimaraes

Chances of leaving? 5/10

Guimaraes’s representatives seem to be assessing what kind of market there is for the 28-year-old and given his age, decent performances at the World Cup and contractual status there is an element of pragmatism about what is going on.

The optics of it, though, are awful. Newcastle need players in, not to lose a talisman like him. If they sell him and Tonali, it will feel like the project is falling apart.

Lewis Hall

Chances of leaving? 3/10

Newcastle were bemused by reports that he had fallen out with Howe, and The i Paper understands there has been no contact from Manchester United. The Magpies want to keep Hall and believe they can retain the England man.

Tino Livramento

Chances of leaving? 3/10

At one point Livramento was the most likely to go, with Arsenal and Manchester City keen. But his injury problems have dimmed the chances of him leaving this summer – and Newcastle would like to re-open contract talks, with Livramento out of contract in 2028.

Harvey Barnes

Chances of leaving? 2/10

Aston Villa are among the clubs keen on a player who returned to the England squad on the back of solid form last season. But Newcastle would want good money for him – and are ideally looking to add a forward, not sell one.

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England’s dour draw with Ghana will quickly be forgotten if they can produce the swashbuckling attacking football they displayed against Croatia in last week’s World Cup group opener.

There were enough worrying signs in that stalemate in Boston, however, to give Thomas Tuchel and his team cause to work overtime back at their training base in Kansas City, Missouri.

France have already hit top gear, the Netherlands can’t stop scoring while Lionel Messi continues to defy Father Time. England cannot afford for the Ghana clash to be anything other than an aberration. Otherwise, another early exit on the world stage could be upon us.

Saturday’s Panama clash is a chance to reset and iron out the most pertinent deficiencies.

Offer Kane some support from wide

One facet to Harry Kane’s game that is often forgotten – the other-worldly goal return grabs all the attention – is what an astounding playmaker he is.

Kane will often drop deep for Bayern Munich and spray the most aesthetically pleasing long-range pass into Michael Olise to get another attack rolling. His gravity-defying passing radar, however, needs runners.

What England failed to do against Ghana, where they excelled when putting Croatia to the sword, was to give Kane an outlet on either flank. Noni Madueke seems to have run out of ideas, while Anthony Gordon will have worried his new Catalonian employers after his displays in the US so far.

With Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford described as “desperate” to start, a renewed energy on the wing, from one player reborn in Barcelona and another one of the few truly world-class players in the England setup, Kane will start to feel in a similar safe place where he was able to take his game to even greater heights this term.

Decide if Bellingham is a true No 10, or give someone who is a chance

Jude Bellingham is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. He is capable of being England’s Roy of the Rovers and Roy Cropper in equal measure.

Nobody else in the squad possesses the X-Factor Bellingham does. It is on Tuchel to get him into positions for him to produce those jaw-dropping moments from No 10. If he is not willing to get Bellingham running off Kane, England are overloaded with alternatives.

Morgan Rogers offers a different kind of option, one adept at pulling wider and cutting inside. Eberechi Eze can also pull an arrowing strike out of nowhere, if given the opportunity.

Bellingham has more dynamism and intelligent positioning. If Tuchel isn’t willing to allow the Real Madrid star to play to such strengths, Rogers or Eze could offer the threat of the unknown. At this stage of the competition, heroes can come in all shapes and sizes.

The John Stones conundrum

Tuchel chairs the John Stones Appreciation Society. Given the veteran defender, who is currently without a club, has 11 Premier League starts across the past two season, no other manager would start such an out-of-practice centre-back on the biggest stage of all.

Tuchel feels Stones carries the ball out from the back like no other and offers tournament knowhow the rest of his backline do not possess. His lack of game time for Manchester City, as injuries ravaged the last few years, has not deterred the German from turning to his favourite English libero.

It was decided pre-tournament that it was Stones who Tuchel would build his defence around, but England looked porous in the extreme in that thrilling Croatia success, with the 32-year-old often caught cold. It turns out the Croatia vulnerability was not just down to Stones, with Marc Guehi and Ezra Konsa troubled more than we were expecting them to be against Ghana.

When the knockout stages get underway, the goals often dry up with so much at stake, putting emphasis on shoring up the backline as much as possible. Stones is England’s best defender. When he is fully fit and firing on all cylinders.

His final appearance for City left much to be desired, while his England return this summer has not resulted in regaining the peak performance he enjoyed at his club. The question Tuchel must answer is whether he risks Stones in the latter stages of a tournament.

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