Bukayo Saka's Return and England's Strategy for Panama
Bukayo Saka is edging back towards his best, but Thomas Tuchel is determined not to let England hang their World Cup hopes on one man.
The Arsenal winger, eased back from an Achilles problem, was handed minutes in the laboured draw with Ghana and is being carefully managed by the technical staff as they eye Panama next. The temptation, after such a flat attacking display, is to fast‑track him. Tuchel is resisting the urge.
“He seems to be more and more ready, and will hopefully push, and then we will see what is coming,” the England head coach said. “He’s getting there, and there’s more and more training sessions, so he needs to have more sessions now. Two sessions to be ready for Panama. It’s not only about Bukayo, but it was good he got some minutes under his belt. Hopefully, there is no reaction and he is good to go.”
No quick fix, even with Saka
England’s four shots on target against Ghana told their own story. The performance lacked incision, rhythm and edge, and Saka’s brief cameo immediately sparked questions about whether he has the “big-game” mentality to jolt the frontline into life.
Tuchel shut that down.
“We need it from everyone. I’m not engaging in that,” he replied when asked if Saka was the missing piece. “It’s not like Bukayo comes back and everything is solved, and I don’t want to put this on his back. He is a top player, that’s why he is with us. We need him desperately, like every other player, in top shape, and pushing. But everyone is doing their best, and it’s not the moment to shout for individual names to help us out. We’re in a good place, still.”
That last line will raise eyebrows among those who watched England labour through Ghana, but it underlines Tuchel’s stance: this is a collective problem, and it will be solved collectively or not at all.
Panama next, but no revolution
Panama evokes a very different memory for England supporters: the 6-1 demolition at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, a sun‑drenched afternoon that felt like a release. This version of Panama is tighter, more cynical, and have twice lost 1-0 at this tournament. They do not get blown away.
Tuchel is not planning to rip everything up and start again.
The German is not expected to make wholesale changes, though there could be a tweak at left-back where Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly may come in for Djed Spence. Any adjustment will be measured, not dramatic. The manager’s priority is structural balance and continuity, even as the noise around England’s attack grows louder.
“I am not shy to do some rotation now,” Tuchel said. “Some players should be on the pitch but maybe it will be more moderate. It’s not always fair if you just rotate your players in and say: ‘OK, let’s perform.’ Let’s see. I like for example the centre-backs. They were good together. I like Elliot Anderson, he had a step forward and a good performance, maybe a bit better than against Croatia.”
That last point matters. Tuchel sees small steps where others see only stumbles. He singled out the centre-backs’ partnership and Anderson’s improvement as reasons not to tear up the blueprint.
Goals missing, belief intact
The frustration, of course, lies in the final third. England moved the ball, worked decent areas, and forced set pieces against Ghana, but the killer touch never arrived. The pressure built in the stands; Tuchel, on the touchline, saw something different.
“We created half-chances, we created deliveries and set plays but couldn’t score from it to change the characteristics of the game,” he said. “I know it’s not an easy watch. Maybe I watch it differently from the sideline as a coach. I know what we wanted and what we had to take care of.
“There is a long way to go and no one has won a World Cup with four goals per match and going for it. We always want to go for it and our responsibility is to bring everything to the table. We tried and tried but it’s difficult sometimes and there is no need to feel negative.”
That is the line he is walking now: acknowledging the lack of cutting edge without allowing doubt to seep into a squad still settling into the tournament. He wants more aggression, more clarity, more end product. He does not want panic.
Saka’s return to full sharpness could tilt tight games in England’s favour. So could another step forward from Anderson, another assured display from that centre-back pairing, another set of small gains that rarely make headlines but win tournaments.
Panama will test how much Tuchel truly believes in continuity over upheaval. The selection board will show it long before the scoreline does.
