Indeed, this dire 0-0 speaks to the task Thomas Tuchel has in front of him. England kept the ball well enough, but didn’t have answers for a well-set-up Ghana side.
Carlos Queiroz’s men played for a point from the first second, as they defended deep, scrunched the spaces, and invited England keep possession. The Three Lions’ response was measured and lacking any kind of risk-taking in the final third.
To illustrate their dominance, England completed 111 passes during the opening 12 minutes; Ghana completed 14. But England didn’t create a chance from open play for 36 minutes and only had three shots on target all game before Nico O’Reilly rattled the crossbar with four minutes remaining.
Harry Kane, so often the spark, had just three touches in the Ghana box, and did not get a good look on goal until the 87th minute, when he blasted over the bar from point-blank range.
“[Ghana] defended with a lot of determination, a lot of discipline, and one of the most physical performances I ever saw from a team defending,” Tuchel said post-match. “It was difficult to find space. The little moments he [Kane] had were just unlucky. The last one was usually a clear goal.
“It didn’t fall for us. It was a difficult one. It took a lot of patience and repetitive attacks with patience to break it down. It’s a 0-0,” Tuchel said.
As is the way with England at major tournament, the vibes pendulum can swing violently from ‘It’s Coming Home’ to ‘They’re getting the next flight home’. When times are good, they have never seemed so good, but as soon as there is one disappointing result, panic sets in.
Thinking rationally, however, it’s worth remembering that England have now drawn the second game of four straight major tournaments (with three of those finishing 0-0), meaning this is not uncharted territory for a team who went all the way to the final on two of those previous occasions. But that’s part of the problem; Tuchel was supposed to change things, and so a return to what many will read as the status quo, is alarming – especially given the team’s lofty goals this summer.
“It’s a long tournament. The boys tried everything,” Tuchel said after the final whistle. It might, though, be time to try something else.
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