"Hey Jude, don't make it bad; take a sad song and make it better."
Paul McCartney's iconic Hey Jude remains one of the great anthems of comfort and encouragement. At its heart lies a simple message. Move forward, overcome disappointment, and turn a negative into a positive.
That is exactly the song England need after their frustrating goalless draw against Ghana in Group L of the FIFA World Cup in Boston yesterday.
Yes, it was disappointing. Yes, it was frustrating. But from an English perspective, there is little reason for alarm.
Despite the inevitable scrutiny that follows England wherever they go, this is far from a crisis. Credit must instead go to a Ghana side that arrived with a plan, committed fully to it, and executed it brilliantly.
Carlos Queiroz's men defended with discipline, intensity and conviction. England's attacking display in the 4-2 win over Croatia had fuelled expectations of another comfortable evening for Thomas Tuchel's side, but sometimes football demands appreciation for the team pulling off a defensive masterclass for the desired result.
England remain top of Group L after two games and are still masters of their own fate. A win over Panama in their final match guarantees a place in the knockout rounds and will almost certainly secure top spot. England beat Panama 6-1 in their only previous meeting at the 2018 World Cup. There is not much to worry about.
Anyone concerned by the stalemate should remember England have topped their group in each of the last three major tournaments despite stumbling in their second group game. Following Tuesday's draw, England have now failed to win their second match at each of the last four major tournaments.
This result follows 0-0 draws against Scotland at Euro 2020 and the United States at the 2022 World Cup, as well as a 1-1 draw with Denmark at Euro 2024. Across those four matches, England have produced 48 shots, averaged 61 percent possession, generated 4.14 expected goals and scored only once.
"I didn't deserve it," England midfielder Jude Bellingham said after receiving the player-of-the-match award. "It probably should have gone to one of their lads who defended so well. They played for a draw as it would have seen them through. Fair play to them."
Declan Rice struck a similarly calm note.
"There's no need to be negative. We need to stay positive, keep going and recover before the next match."
So why did England look so vibrant against Croatia but become stuck against Ghana?
The answer lies in the type of opponent they faced.
England's 19 shots were their most in a World Cup match without scoring since registering 25 against Nigeria in 2002, while their expected goals (xG) reached 1.28. Yet they rarely looked close to finding a breakthrough.
This England side thrives when opponents try to impose themselves. Tuchel's system is designed to lure teams forward, draw them out of shape and exploit the spaces left behind. Croatia obliged and fell into that. Zlatko Dalic's side pressed high, were repeatedly outnumbered and bypassed, and England's runners found themselves attacking isolated defenders.
Ghana, however, refused to play that game and fall into England’s hands. They sat in a compact 4-5-1, defended deep and rarely ventured forward. England finished with 78.8 percent possession, the highest they have ever recorded in a World Cup match and the highest possession figure by any team in World Cup history without scoring. Ghana, ranked 64th in the world, managed just two shots -- the fewest England have ever faced at the tournament.
England were completely dominant but struggled to transform that control into meaningful chances. It took until the 86th minute for the game's biggest opportunity to arrive, when Nico O'Reilly headed against the crossbar before Harry Kane blazed the rebound over.
Their three shots on target all came from distance and required only routine saves from Ghana goalkeeper Benjamin Asare.
England repeatedly created overloads on one flank before switching play to the other side, a tactic that worked so effectively against Croatia. This time Ghana's full-backs coped admirably. England then resorted to delivering crosses into a crowded penalty area and Ghana were equal to it as well. Ghana also went man-for-man on England’s creative outlets -- Kane, Bellingham, Anderson -- stifling them successfully in midfield by aggressively marking them.
In many ways, this was the match that always threatened to trouble Tuchel's England. His system will likely become more effective as the tournament progresses because most elite opponents will attempt to impose themselves rather than simply survive. Against those teams, England's ability to manipulate space becomes far more dangerous.
Against deep, organised low blocks like Ghana's, however, the solution is less obvious. In those moments, Tuchel may occasionally need something Southgate often relied upon -- individual brilliance capable of finding a breakthrough rather than relying on a functional system for the result. However, Tuchel is rarely short of ideas when it comes to solving in-game problems and flexible enough to devise a plan B.
England have encountered a problem, but not a crisis. Ghana did not expose England. They merely asked a question Croatia never did. What happens when nobody takes the bait? What happens when the spaces disappear? Ghana revealed the type of opponent that can make them uncomfortable. That is not the same thing.
Tuchel's side remain top of the group, remain on course for the knockout rounds and remain one of the more convincing contenders in the tournament. Every World Cup campaign encounters resistance sooner or later. England's arrived in Boston. They survived it. The next step is proving they can overcome it.
