By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-07-18 17:28:12 | Updated at 2026-08-02 18:55:50
2 weeks ago
Who should Thomas Tuchel select for England when they face Argentina in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final? Here are four big decisions he’ll need to make.
England face Argentina on Wednesday with a place in the 2026 World Cup final up for grabs, but who should Thomas Tuchel select in his starting lineup?
Most of the spots are sewn up. Harry Kane will lead the line, supported by the irrepressible Jude Bellingham. Jordan Pickford will be in goal, Elliot Anderson will start in central midfield and Anthony Gordon will surely remain on the left flank.
There is rather less certainty around some of the other positions, though. Here, we pick out four selection decisions for Tuchel to address before kick-off.
Rest or Risk Rice?
A fit Declan Rice would usually be one of the first names on the teamsheet, but he wasn’t fit to face Norway – Tuchel later revealed that the midfielder had spent most of the three days before in bed due to illness – and he played poorly for the 45 minutes before he was substituted.
It took a while for Tuchel to find a partner who worked with Anderson in midfield, but eventually, England improved with Morgan Rogers in there.
Rice may still be first choice to go back into midfield, but even with reports suggesting he is feeling much better and should be fit to start in Atlanta, there is still a question mark over his spot.
There’s little chance he will be at his absolute best if he has indeed spent three days in bed with illness, and he has also reportedly been playing with a lower-back problem and hamstring issue for several months. In the 2025-26 season, of all players in Europe’s top five leagues, only four players made more appearances at club level in all competitions than Rice (55), and he tended to play 90 minutes most of the time, too.
He appears to be suffering the effects of an incredibly testing domestic season, and after this recent illness, it would be understandable if he weren’t up to playing to his usual barnstorming best this week.
With that in mind, it may make sense to at least consider starting with Rogers in midfield. Doing so may improve England’s chances in this game while also increasing the chances of Rice being ready for a potential final.
That said, leaving him out would be a very bold call indeed.
Spence or O’Reilly at Left-Back?
Before the Norway game, there would have been no conversation to be had here, but then Djed Spence came off the bench to put in a performance as surprising as it was brilliant to stake his claim for a starting spot against Argentina.
Spence can play right-back but is in the squad as a left-back, just as he has been a left-back for Spurs for much of the recent past. He is – rather bafflingly – far more comfortable and effective on the left, cutting in onto his right foot, but he can compromise the balance of his team when he plays on the left. That imbalance was apparent when he started at left-back against Ghana in the group stage.
However, against Norway, Spence was exceptional. He was solid defensively, with no England player bettering his combined total of seven tackles, interceptions and clearances, even though he only came on in the 85th minute to play the final five minutes of normal time and then extra-time. He also carried the ball up the pitch extremely effectively to provide attacking threat, including when he drove into the Norway box to win a penalty (even if that decision was then overturned after a VAR review).
Argentina have a narrow attack. They have had a higher proportion of their attacking open-play touches through the middle third of the pitch (34.0%) than any other team at the World Cup. Lionel Messi takes up inside-right positions and has been one of the best players at the whole tournament. Stopping him has to be one of England’s biggest priorities, and so it might make sense to have a right-footed left-back who is more comfortable defending on the inside.
Spence showed against Norway that he is a very adequate alternative whom Tuchel should at least consider going with, although O’Reilly has had a very good tournament (following a very good season with Manchester City) and will remain the favourite to start.
Saka or Madueke?
Tuchel has clearly been managing Bukayo Saka’s game time all tournament, with the Arsenal winger playing no more than 63 minutes in any game before Saturday’s quarter-final against Norway. Even then, he only played 75 minutes because the game went to extra-time.
Saka insists he is now “ready to go”, but also just the other day admitted he wasn’t 100% coming into the tournament, having carried an Achilles injury through the end of the domestic season with Arsenal. The fact he didn’t start against Norway suggests Tuchel is still at the very least mildly concerned about overplaying him.
So, following a quick turnaround after the Norway game and the possibility of two more matches – which could go to extra-time – in the space of five days, Tuchel has a decision to make on Saka. Should he risk him from the off against Argentina, or do what he did against Norway and bring him off the bench?
Noni Madueke is a very capable deputy. He is averaging more open-play expected assists per 90 (0.51) than anyone else at the World Cup (200+ mins played), while only five players have bettered his open-play chances created per 90 (2.8).
However, Saka is one of the best wingers in the world. He looks more dangerous than Madueke and although he isn’t creating as many chances, he actually makes things happen more often. He has three assists despite playing just 267 minutes, and his rate of 1.01 assists per 90 is the second best of all players (200+ mins) at the 2026 World Cup, behind only Norway’s Andreas Schjelderup (1.08).
Should Tuchel hold Saka back with the idea that the game could go to extra-time, or choose his first-choice right winger from the off?
Go Attacking or Defensive at Right-Back?
The choice at right-back is essentially between Reece James, who would provide attacking impetus and high-quality deliveries into the box, or a more conservative choice like Tuchel has gone with in the last two rounds.
Jarrell Quansah is unavailable due to suspension, so if Tuchel stuck to the more defensive approach, he would likely have to pick Ezri Konsa, who played there against Norway.
The problem with doing that is it would require John Stones to start again at centre-back just four days after he completed 120 minutes against Norway. For Manchester City in 2025-26, he completed 90 minutes just eight times in any competition. He did so in back-to-back games just once, way back in August, and he then missed out on the City squad altogether for the next two games due to injury.
The other option isn’t exactly free of injury concern, though. James missed three matches at this World Cup with a hamstring problem, and although he returned from the bench against Norway, he will not be fully fit and certainly won’t last the distance.
Another option would be to start James and Stones, but they may both struggle to see out the full game, so that could put unnecessary strain on the starting XI.
There isn’t really a risk-free option here; every possibility comes with potential pitfalls.
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