Tuchel Faces Selection Dilemmas After England's World Cup Opener

England's attacking style in their opening World Cup win against Croatia in Dallas created a stir of excitement but still left head coach Thomas Tuchel with questions to ponder.

Tuchel's side looked vulnerable in defence after he selected Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa ahead of Manchester City's Marc Guehi to partner John Stones.

In attack, substitute Marcus Rashford scored England's final goal in the 4-2 victory after replacing new Barcelona buy Anthony Gordon, who got the nod to start on the left flank.

England's World Cup campaign now moves to Boston, where they face Ghana on Tuesday, and where Tuchel must decide whether to stick or twist with his line-up.

For all the bouquets thrown in England's direction, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford still needed to pull off a vital save from Igor Matanovic with the score at 3-2, before Rashford settled nerves.

And those two decisions in central defence and on the left-side of England's attack look to be the biggest dilemmas facing Tuchel.

Tuchel's decision to pick Konsa while leaving out Guehi raised some eyebrows, but a glance at the German's team selections since succeeding Sir Gareth Southgate suggests this should not have been a surprise.

Of England's 15 games under Tuchel, Konsa has started 10, third behind Pickford and Harry Kane, who have both started 12. He is also third in minutes played, with 933 behind Pickford (1,008) and Kane (938).

Guehi has only started seven, playing 504 minutes – and it could also be noted that Tuchel was in charge at Chelsea when the 25-year-old was sold to Crystal Palace in July 2021.

Konsa had moments of uncertainty, getting caught out of position when Petar Musa scored Croatia's second equaliser, but Tuchel is a huge admirer of his physical and footballing attributes, which are believed to have settled the selection.

Tuchel's confidence in 32-year-old Stones, who only started five Premier League games last season before leaving Manchester City, means it looks like a straight battle between Konsa and Guehi to line up alongside him.

Former England striker Chris Sutton believes Tuchel should actually pair Konsa and Guehi rather than start with Stones.

He told BBC Sport: "Why is the debate Guehi for Konsa and not Stones?

"I'd have Guehi and Konsa because they are the best defenders.

"Don't get me wrong, John Stones has been a great player and I have huge respect for his career, but you are talking about a guy who doesn't even have a club for next season yet.

"I don't think Stones has the athleticism which the other two possess.

"It's nothing against John, who has been a brilliant player. He's got more composure on the ball, which he's always had, but once England get out of the group, which they will, you will need your best defenders when you're playing against the best attackers.

"I think Konsa and Guehi have better attributes in terms of one-against-one situations than John Stones and there will be times in games when they will be isolated one-against-one against players of the highest class."

Paul Robinson, the former England goalkeeper who is BBC Radio 5 Live's analyst at their games, believes Tuchel will make changes – but only because he can manage a strong squad, not because of any defensive concerns.

He said: "The defence looked nervous at times but there is context. This is the first game of a major tournament and Croatia are ranked 11th in the world. They have troubled England before and they have medals from reaching the final and semi-final in the past two World Cups.

"You can pick holes in it tactically at the back, but the pleasing thing for Thomas Tuchel was that it wasn't individual errors. It was a collective unit. He can work on that in training.

"I think there are a lot of people who are quick to criticise when actually you should look at the positives. This was an England team that played to their strengths for the first time in a long time, instead of defending their weaknesses. I liked it."

Robinson added: "Six months ago it was Marc Guehi and one other, but John Stones has got the trust of the manager. He is one of his leaders on the pitch.

"It is a very difficult decision but three into two doesn't go and I don't have an issue with who Tuchel picks. He had all three fit and this was obviously his favourite pair against Croatia."

Robinson added: "I didn't have any serious concerns about what I saw defensively. I think he will change the team but not for performance reasons.

"If England get to the World Cup final, it's eight games in 32 days and he has got trust in his squad. It doesn't matter [about] reputation, name, who you play for... he trusts every single one of his players."

Sutton said: "It's going to be a squad game at the World Cup. We could even have a debate about the other flank, where Noni Madueke started, with Tuchel managing Bukayo Saka's minutes.

"On the left, though, I'd go for Rashford. I think Gordon's form suffered towards the end of the season. He didn't play much for Newcastle and he just doesn't seem quite up to speed.

"This is not to say he won't have a big part to play as the tournament goes on, but Rashford took his goal well and looked good. It's close, but at the moment I'd go for Rashford. I think he deserves an opportunity."