Surprising twist at Wembley: the English national team, filled with stars and heavily favored, found itself on the brink of disaster against the Congolese, only rescued by the genius of Harry Kane. The clash against the Democratic Republic of Congo, ranked 46th in the FIFA rankings, proved to be a genuine headache for Thomas Tuchel and exposed concerning weaknesses in the tactical approach of the English team.
The scenario seemed straightforward: England, under Tuchel's command, faced a theoretically inferior Congolese side, but ended up sweating to secure a victory thanks to two decisive goals from Harry Kane. The match, held at Wembley, laid bare the English difficulties against the unexpected tactical boldness of Congolese coach Sébastien Desabre, who radically altered the system to an offensive 4-4-2, catching the British formation completely off guard.
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This lackluster display from the English team takes on special significance considering their next challenge: facing Mexico, the host nation of the World Cup, at the iconic Estadio Azteca in the round of 16. If Tuchel's team maintains the performance shown against the DRC, the dream of the title could end sooner than British fans would like. Beyond the result, the way England was tactically exploited serves as a serious warning for the upcoming clashes, where every mistake could be fatal.
The key to England's struggle lay in the way the Democratic Republic of the Congo (RDC) constructed their game. By abandoning the usual 5-3-2 in favor of a dynamic 4-4-2, Desabre managed to neutralize England's high press. Utilizing the goalkeeper and three central players in the initial phase of build-up, the Congolese achieved numerical superiority over Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, forcing Marcus Rashford and Noni Madueke to stretch too wide, distancing themselves from the central defenders. This fragmented England's defensive line and left players like Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson caught between pressing higher or holding their position, creating gaps that were constantly exploited by the opposition.
This approach is, interestingly, similar to that employed by Mexico under Javier Aguirre, although they use a 4-3-3 formation. The Mexicans are adept at creating width and movements that displace opposing lines, exactly as the RDC did. The off-the-ball movement of the Congolese midfielders dragged Rice and Anderson into uncomfortable areas, allowing the forwards to drop back and receive the ball unmarked—a movement that Raul Jimenez frequently executes for the Mexican national team.
Tuchel will need to rethink the entire defensive strategy. He can either opt for a low block, more compact and expectant, ceding initiative but closing spaces for short circulation, or risk maintaining high pressure, but with fundamental adjustments. One solution could involve adding a midfielder to Kane and Bellingham in the press, forcing one of the centre-backs to step up and occupy the space behind Rice — a task for which Marc Guehi stands out at Manchester City. However, as seen on Wednesday, the worst scenario would be to remain indecisive between the two approaches, leaving the team vulnerable, exactly as happened against the DRC.
In the offensive chapter, England again showed difficulties in building fluid attacks against the Congolese 4-4-2, repeating problems already evident in the group matches against Ghana and Panama. Despite Tuchel strongly betting on “wide units,” with triangles composed of full-backs, attacking midfielders, and wingers rotating positions, the team took time to find solutions. Only with greater control of possession in the second half were they able to mitigate the danger created by the DRC — but against Mexico, away from home and with the pressure of the Estadio Azteca, controlling the tempo will be much more complicated.
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After the final whistle, Tuchel did not hide his relief, but also acknowledged the shortcomings: “We were surprised by the way the DRC presented themselves. We had difficulties adjusting the press and that cost us dearly. We need to improve quickly if we want to go far in this World Cup,” said the German coach at the press conference. Harry Kane, the hero of the night, was unequivocal: “We weren't at our level, but these hard-fought victories are also part of it. Now we need to look at Mexico and correct what we failed to do,” declared the English forward still on the pitch.
The upcoming match against Mexico will be the true test of England's ability to learn and adapt tactically. The risk of repeating the mistakes made at Wembley is real, especially against an opponent with similar strengths and even more individual talent. The pressure is entirely on Tuchel, who will need to reinvent the team to avoid another scare — or even an early elimination. Fans expect quick answers, and the time for experimentation is over: either England steps up and shows why they are favorites, or they may bid farewell to the World Cup in one of the most dreaded atmospheres in world football.
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