Alan Shearer wants Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford on the pitch against Panama. He's not wrong — but he's not right either. England's problem isn't personnel. It's paralysis. A team that plays like it's afraid of losing, instead of hungry to win.
Thomas Tuchel's squad selection for the World Cup has been cautious, conservative, and frankly, cowardly. He picked experience over form, reputations over hunger. And it shows. England's first two group games have been labored, lifeless, and lacking any kind of spark. The midfield is clogged, the attack is isolated, and the full-backs are pinned back like they're playing for a draw.
Shearer, who knows a thing or two about scoring for England, called for change. He wants Saka's direct running and Rashford's pace to unsettle a Panama side that will sit deep and try to counter. He's not wrong. But he's missing the point.
The real problem isn't who plays — it's how they play
Tuchel's England have become a possession-heavy, side-to-side machine. They keep the ball like it's a precious artifact, not a weapon. They pass backwards more than forwards. They recycle possession until the crowd groans. And when they finally do go forward, it's with the urgency of a Sunday league team waiting for the pub to open.
This isn't a Tuchel thing. He's a brilliant coach — Chelsea's Champions League win proved that. But his pragmatism has infected England. The team is set up not to lose, rather than to win. And that's a disaster in knockout football, where one moment of bravery can decide everything.
“England don't need to change their players. They need to change their mentality. Stop playing not to lose. Start playing to win.”
Panama, for all their grit and organization, are not a World Cup powerhouse. They will defend deep, foul cynically, and hope for a set-piece. England should be able to break them down. But if they play the same cautious football — sideways passes, no risks, no runners in behind — they'll struggle. Again.
Shearer wants Saka and Rashford. But will Tuchel play them?
Shearer's call is intuitive. Saka is England's most direct wide player — he drives at defenders, commits them, creates chaos. Rashford, even at his most inconsistent, has pace that terrifies tired legs. Against a packed defense, those two are exactly what you need.
But there's a reason Tuchel left them out initially. He's a manager who trusts structure over flair. He wants control. And Saka and Rashford are not control players. They're disruptors. They make mistakes. They lose the ball. But they also win games.
That's the gamble. And Tuchel, so far, has refused to take it. He's picked safe, experienced options — players who won't lose the ball, but also won't win it. That's why England's games have been so dull. No risk. No reward.
The Panama game is a litmus test for Tuchel's courage
If England beat Panama comfortably, with flair and ambition, Tuchel looks like a genius. But if they grind out another 1-0 with a set-piece and then defend for 80 minutes, the criticism will grow. And it should.
This isn't just about this World Cup. It's about England's identity. For years, the national team has been accused of being tactically naive, emotionally fragile, and unable to handle pressure. Tuchel was supposed to fix that. Instead, he's made them safe, sterile, and soulless.
I'm not saying he should abandon all caution. But at some point, you have to let your best attacking players attack. You have to trust them. You have to create a system that encourages creativity, not one that stifles it.
A culture of fear is the real enemy
England's problem isn't a lack of talent. It's a lack of courage. The players are afraid to make mistakes because they know they'll be dropped. The manager is afraid to take risks because he knows he'll be blamed. And the whole thing becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of mediocrity.
You can see it in the body language. The sideways passes. The hesitation in the final third. The way they take an extra touch instead of shooting. It's not a technical issue — it's a psychological one.
Shearer is right to call for change. But the change needs to go deeper than two players. England need to believe they can win — not just hope they won't lose. That starts with the manager. It starts with Tuchel saying, “Go out there and express yourselves.” Instead, he's saying, “Stick to the plan.”
“Football is a simple game. You put the ball in the net. Everything else is just noise. England have forgotten how to make noise.”
Look at the teams who win World Cups. They're not the ones with the best possession stats. They're the ones who take risks. Who attack with purpose. Who make defenders sweat. Brazil in 2002, Spain in 2010, France in 2018 — all of them had moments of individual brilliance, of sheer audacity. England under Tuchel have none of that.
So what should Tuchel do?
Start by picking Saka and Rashford. But more importantly, tell them to play their natural game. Don't tie them down with tactical restrictions. Let Saka cut inside. Let Rashford run in behind. If they lose the ball, so be it. At least they were trying to win.
And then, change the midfield. Drop the safety-first double pivot. Play someone who can actually pass forward — someone like Jude Bellingham, but higher up the pitch. Give them license to roam. Create overloads. Make Panama chase shadows.
If Tuchel does that, England will beat Panama. More importantly, they'll look like a team that believes in itself. And that belief is what wins tournaments.
If he doesn't — if he sticks with the same cautious approach — England might still scrape through. But they won't win the World Cup. And they won't deserve to.
Because the team that wins the World Cup isn't the one that's afraid to lose. It's the one that dares to win.
