The Sports Guru
A goalless draw with Ghana has reopened every England debate that the win over Croatia had briefly closed. Gary Neville, talking to Sky Sports News, offered a measured read on all of them. This covers his case for two changes against Panama, his reframing of the Cole Palmer conversation, and the one concern he keeps returning to: Declan Rice.
A 0-0 draw tends to invite a thousand opinions, and England's stalemate with Ghana has produced its share. Gary Neville's, delivered to Sky Sports News, is worth more than most, and the striking thing about it is how calm it is. England are through to the knockout stages regardless, having followed their thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia with a flat afternoon against Ghana, and the former Manchester United defender is not minded to panic. He would, though, make two changes against Panama, and he has a clear idea of why.
The case for Rogers over Gordon
Neville's headline call is to bring Morgan Rogers in for Anthony Gordon on the left. He was careful not to single Gordon out unfairly, noting that the winger "is a really good player" who "has had two difficult games," but his bigger frustration was with the bench. "I did not think that Marcus Rashford should have come on," Neville said. "I actually thought it should be Morgan Rogers." The logic is about opponent, not reputation. Against a side likely to defend deep, he argued, England need invention rather than pace.
"Rashford and Gordon are explosive. They're the players that, really, if you're counter-attacking, you'd want them on the pitch," Neville said. "But if Panama are going to be very difficult to break down, you are going to need players with a little bit more invention, a little bit more subtlety." That, in his view, points to Rogers or Eberechi Eze drifting in from the left, with Jude Bellingham occupying the number 10 role. "If we were playing France or playing Spain, I would say Gordon or Rashford. But just because we are playing Panama, I would like to see Rogers off the left-hand side." His second change is at full-back, where he would restore Nico O'Reilly in place of Djed Spence, a player he stressed he rates. The rest of the team, he said, he would leave well alone.
Why the Ghana draw did not surprise him
If others were alarmed by the blank against Ghana, Neville was not, and his reasoning carried the weight of personal history. Ghana are coached by Carlos Queiroz, who worked alongside Neville at Manchester United for two or three years as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant. "There aren't many better at organising a team defensively than him," Neville said, recalling how United kept a clean sheet against Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho across 180 minutes in their 2008 Champions League run. The lesson he drew was practical rather than gloomy: more crosses, more bodies in the box earlier, and sharper set pieces, which he called "the most disappointing thing" about the Ghana performance.
There is a longer argument buried in his calm, and it is one that should reassure England supporters. Neville suspects Thomas Tuchel's staff were "rubbing their hands" when Croatia chose to press high, because the resulting shootout suited England's counter-attacking better than a low block ever will. He was honest that the Croatia game also exposed England, pointing to assistant Anthony Barry's angry half-time interview that night as evidence the coaches were not as content as the scoreline suggested. The task now, he said, is to marry the electricity of Croatia with the control of Ghana.
The Palmer question, and the Rice worry
The Ghana stalemate has, predictably, revived the debate over the creators Tuchel left at home, and Neville expects it to grow louder. He believes Cole Palmer and Morgan Gibbs-White should have made the 26-man squad, even while accepting the wider verdict that Phil Foden's omission was justified by form. "Thomas Tuchel has set himself up, and he knows this," Neville said, predicting the manager will face scrutiny over the selection if England fall short for want of creativity against the better sides. For now, he added, it is "a bit too early for that," but the conversation is not going away.
His real concern lies elsewhere. Declan Rice was withdrawn against Croatia and seen with strapping after Ghana, and Neville does not buy the talk of managed minutes. "Declan Rice doesn't come off," he said, reaching for Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira as the kind of irreplaceable midfielder Rice has become. Rice, who has described his own schedule as "obscene" after 55 appearances for Arsenal last season, is one of only three England players, alongside Jordan Pickford and Harry Kane, that Neville thinks the squad cannot adequately replace. England may yet beat Panama playing within themselves. Losing Rice on the road to a first World Cup since 1966 is the scenario that would genuinely hurt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Neville argues it is about the opponent rather than a verdict on Gordon, whom he called "a really good player" who has had two difficult games. Against a Panama side likely to defend deep, he believes England need invention and subtlety from the left rather than the explosive pace of Gordon or Marcus Rashford. He sees Morgan Rogers, or Eberechi Eze, as a better fit for unlocking a low block, with Jude Bellingham playing the number 10 role.
Neville would bring Morgan Rogers in for Anthony Gordon on the left, and restore Nico O'Reilly at full-back in place of Djed Spence, a player he was keen to stress he rates. Beyond those two, he said he would leave the side as it is, arguing England should not overreact to a single goalless draw with Ghana. His preference is for measured tweaks rather than wholesale change.
Ghana are managed by Carlos Queiroz, who worked with Neville at Manchester United as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant and has a strong reputation as a defensive organiser. Neville recalled United keeping a clean sheet against Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho across 180 minutes in their 2008 Champions League run. He expected Ghana to be hard to break down and felt England's set pieces, in particular, were below the standard required.
Neville believes Cole Palmer and Morgan Gibbs-White should have been included in the 26-man squad, while accepting that Phil Foden's omission was widely seen as justified by his form. He suggested Palmer's creativity could have helped unlock the Ghana defence, and warned that Thomas Tuchel will face criticism over the selection if England fall short against stronger opponents. For now, he felt it was too early to reach firm conclusions.
Rice was substituted against Croatia and seen with strapping after the Ghana game, and Neville is sceptical of the idea that his minutes are simply being managed. He regards Rice, alongside Jordan Pickford and Harry Kane, as one of only three England players the squad could not adequately replace. Rice has described his own schedule as "obscene" after making 55 appearances for Arsenal last season, and Neville believes losing him would be a major blow to England's chances.
Sources: Gary Neville's analysis to Sky Sports News, including his proposed changes of Morgan Rogers for Anthony Gordon and Nico O'Reilly for Djed Spence, his comments on Carlos Queiroz and the Ghana draw, the Cole Palmer and squad-selection debate, and his concerns over Declan Rice's fitness and workload, plus the results against Croatia and Ghana, as reported in Sky Sports' coverage ahead of England's World Cup game with Panama.
