Neville: Gordon is England's most pressured player and hasn't delivered at World Cup

England beat Croatia 4-2 in their opening FIFA World Cup Group G match, then drew their second group game six days later. This marks the fourth consecutive major tournament where the team has drawn their second group stage match. However, this draw largely secures England's progression to the round of 16 knockout stage. According to Sky Sports, Merson and Neville believe that Tuchel's team still has many problems to address, though he remains optimistic about the team's performance in the later stages of the tournament.

England coach Thomas Tuchel, when discussing the team's goalless draw against Ghana, said: "The team is not overly reliant on Harry Kane. Everything comes down to reality. It's impossible to score four goals in every match, but everyone originally hoped we could eventually break down the opponent's defense. Ghana defended exceptionally well, and our own performance actually made their defense even easier."

Merson said: "This is where Tuchel needs to make adjustments, but the FIFA World Cup champion won't be decided in the second group stage match. It's always better to face reality early in the group stage rather than expose problems in the knockout stage.

Many teams will defend deep against us, and it's puzzling that we struggle to break down a compact defense. After all, most players in the squad play for top European clubs, where opponents often defend with 10 men when facing them in the league.

The match against Ghana was as monotonous as table football, with a severe lack of movement off the ball.

Bellingham made frequent runs to receive the ball, but his teammates often failed to find him. In contrast, no matter where Messi is on the pitch, his teammates will always pass to him. Messi's one-touch play can draw two or three opposing defenders.

England must trust Bellingham more and pass to him more often. This top player always finds excellent open spaces. The team still has many areas that need refinement and improvement.

I think the team's midfield lacks the subtlety to unlock the game.

Elliott-Anderson and Declan Rice have highly overlapping technical characteristics; neither is good at wide distribution of the ball, and the team lacks such creative passers.

The lack of midfield creativity is a major concern. Having a lot of possession but being unable to convert it into threats will be a big headache for Tuchel.

To break through a compact defense, off-the-ball movement is essential, relying on intelligent runs to disrupt the opponent's defensive line. The only way to dismantle a solid defense is through movement. However, Ghana's defense was indeed commendable; whenever England had a shooting opportunity, three or four opposing players would simultaneously block it.

But after such a draw, everyone can only hope Cole Palmer and Phil Foden step up, which shouldn't be necessary."

Gary Neville stated that after drawing with Ghana, Gordon is the player under the most pressure in the squad. The winger, who moved from Newcastle to Barcelona before the FIFA World Cup, started both group matches but failed to deliver any outstanding performances.

"Gordon is probably under the most pressure in the squad right now," Neville said. "We all thought he might not start against Ghana, and Marcus Rashford could replace him, but he did. I think it will be difficult for him to keep his starting spot going forward."

"England fans were all disappointed to see Harry Kane miss a last-minute winner. We must trust the coach. The journey always has ups and downs. Croatia chose to attack proactively and paid the price, but Ghana defended deep throughout, and Panama will also adopt a defensive stance in the next match. The team needs to show more confidence, and we missed too many scoring opportunities in this game. When this team was first assembled, everyone thought the players would fearlessly challenge opponents."

"In my judgment, Tuchel will not rotate extensively in the final group stage match against Panama, as qualification for the group is still not certain. England must regain their form quickly. This draw is a minor setback on the journey; the team needs to stabilize the lineup and avoid disrupting momentum with five or six rotations. The team does not want another poor performance and wants to qualify for the round of 16 knockout stage in good form."

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