England were ‘terrible’ against DR Congo and Thomas Tuchel leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold at home is ‘one of the worst World Cup squad picks ever,’ reckons Jamie O’Hara.
The Three Lions won the game 2-1 in Atlanta, but it was a stressful contest after they fell behind just seven minutes in.
A monumental upset was very much on the cards until Harry Kane headed in an equaliser on 75 minutes, much to the relief of England’s fans.
The nerves were still being shredded until Kane hammered home a brilliant winner with just four minutes of the 90 remaining.
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The immense quality of the England captain made the difference and booked his country’s spot int he last 16, where they will meet Mexico at the Azteca.
O’Hara felt Kane got England ‘out of a hole’ but do not have enough players in the squad to keep pulling off miracles and Tuchel has left some that could at home.
The former Spurs midfielder feels Alexander-Arnold’s omission is particularly hard to understand, especially as injuries and form led to Declan Rice even playing at right-back against DR Congo after Djed Spence was taken off.
‘Obviously Kane. He’ll win you a game, and [Jude] Bellingham, but you can’t have two players win the World Cup,’ O’Hara said on talkSPORT. ‘France have got six or seven. Where are the players who are going to make something happen?
‘I don’t want to go there, but I’m going to. Cole Palmer. Trent. You’ve left these players at home.
‘The right-back position. It’s almost criminal that we’re having to play [Djed] Spence there. Spence doesn’t start at right-back for Tottenham, who finished 17th!’
O’Hara felt confused by what he was watching for most of the game down England’s right flank, with Noni Madueke and Spence struggling to produce anything.
‘I’m looking at it going, what’s going on? What am I watching? Madueke doesn’t get to the byline, pulls it back to Spence. Spence doesn’t want to cross the ball. It’s not his game. He’s athletic, he’ll defend well. It’s not his game.
‘All of a sudden, the best part of the game where we looked alright, was when Declan Rice went right-back and Saka played right wing. Because they had a connection.
‘If Saka tried to get to the byline, it didn’t happen, come back to Rice, and Rice puts the ball in the box.
‘How have we not took Trent? How? It’s going to go down as one of the worst World Cup squad picks ever. Ever! That Trent hasn’t gone.
‘Cole Palmer must be sat in Ibiza laughing that he’s not involved in this squad. Laughing. Because we are terrible. We’re terrible.’
O’Hara’s co-host Jason Cundy touted the theory that England will have more joy against better teams that will give them more space, but feared that they have shown very little quality on the ball so time and space could be of little use to them.
‘There is something to be said for the fact that when you play teams like Mexico, or play teams like Argentina, Brazil, whoever, they will give you more space. That’s a fact,’ said the former Chelsea player.
‘It’s what you do with the ball. And we look lost. We look dead. Even when we get spaces in wide areas, where you can take player on, we look like little birds.
‘We’re like little birds sat on the patio eating. When you open the patio door, they all fly away. That’s what we are. They fly away. Don’t want the ball.
‘When they get the ball, what are you going to do with it? Don’t do anything with it. Come back inside [from the wing].
‘It’s easier to come back inside and keep the ball and then move it left. And then it’s so slow and it’s so boring and it’s so dull.’