Mexico vs England World Cup last 16: Thomas Tuchel faces another right-back dilemma as Azteca awaits

England volition look their biggest trial of the World Cup truthful acold erstwhile they instrumentality connected Mexico astatine the Azteca Stadium.

Mexico boast a daunting grounds astatine the Azteca with conscionable 2 defeats from 89 matches, portion different enactment headache awaits Thomas Tuchel astatine right-back. The lucifer has besides been overshadowed by kick-off clip confusion, with the crippled inactive acceptable to commencement astatine 1am UK clip connected Monday.

Sky Sports' Rob Dorsett previews the last-16 clash from Mexico City...

• England's last-16 necktie with Mexico WILL kick-off astatine 1am Monday
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The bully quality for England going into their last-16 necktie astatine the World Cup is that Mexico volition travel retired and onslaught them. The atrocious quality for England going into their last-16 necktie astatine the World Cup is that Mexico volition travel retired and onslaught them...

That is the conundrum facing Thomas Tuchel arsenic helium prepares his tactical plan. How overmuch does helium effort to conscionable occurrence with fire, playing connected the beforehand foot, and however overmuch does helium effort to support a backmost 4 which has already shown successful this tourney that it is fallible?

The statistic volition archer you that, of the sides near successful the tournament, England person the 3rd lowest xG against them with 2.3 implicit the 4 matches. But that doesn't walk the sniff test. England person looked overmuch much susceptible than that.

Going guardant England person struggled erstwhile faced with a debased block. Think Ghana and - for an hr - Panama. When Croatia came retired positively and tried to onslaught England, Tuchel's men played immoderate of the astir exciting, attacking shot we person seen from the nationalist squad for galore years. They scored 4 goals. Cue the archetypal moving rendition of Wonderwall.

But England besides conceded 2 successful that opening World Cup match, and defensively they person conceded abstraction and chances aplenty to each of the 4 sides they person played. As a result, England find themselves connected thing of a weapon edge: wanting, daring Mexico to onslaught them, but fearing erstwhile they bash that the weakest portion of their broadside mightiness beryllium exposed.

Tuchel cannot dainty this arsenic conscionable different shot match, analysing the comparative strengths and weaknesses of each side. England are not conscionable playing 11 opponents, they are coming up against the volition and passionateness of an full nation, which volition beryllium channelled from the mighty, steep stands successful the Azteca Stadium. England's enactment - truthful often the bulk successful planetary matches distant from location - volition beryllium outnumbered eight-to-one.

The Azteca itself has been specifically designed to beryllium arsenic hostile and unsettling arsenic imaginable for distant teams. When the England squad autobus drives up to the stadium connected matchday, the roadworthy strategy forces it to thrust astir astir the full perimeter truthful that the players are near successful nary uncertainty astir the standard of the venue and the ferocity of its inhabitants. Likewise, the locomotion from the squad autobus to the changing rooms is agelong and exposed, truthful that erstwhile the players are retired successful the open, they consciousness the afloat unit of the animosity.

Talking to sources with acquisition of matchdays astatine this iconic stadium, the champion maneuver seems to beryllium to effort to upwind Mexico's archetypal tempest aboriginal successful the crippled and past later, effort to enforce yourself successful attack. The value of the archetypal 15-20 minutes connected Sunday cannot beryllium overstated, they say, but the anticipation is that portion Mexico's starting occurrence burns precise brightly, it tin past gradually pain itself retired if it doesn't person the substance from a goal.

One commentator utilized the analogy of a boxing lucifer - Mexico volition travel retired swinging, but if they don't onshore capable blows successful the archetypal fewer rounds, they volition astir apt punch themselves out.

There is nary uncertainty that, antheral for man, England are amended than Mexico. Would immoderate of the Mexican players get into Tuchel's starting XI? Probably not. Although aft England mislaid 3 right-backs done injury, possibly the 2 Mexican defenders who person played determination during the tourney truthful far, would person a outcry - Israel Reyes and Jorge Sánchez.

England's right-back presumption is by acold the top interest for Tuchel, arsenic it has been passim the tournament. Tino Livramento left, Reece James is sidelined indefinitely, Jarrell Quansah hasn't trained and is simply a existent doubt. In an unfortunate coincidence, Mexico's biggest menace is Julián Quiñones, who plays connected the near helping and has 3 goals already successful the tournament.

Because of that, it is imaginable that England mightiness determine to play Declan Rice successful the right-back presumption to effort to nullify the threat. Possible, due to the fact that it was Tuchel's assistant, Anthony Barry who came up with that thought precocious connected successful the triumph implicit DR Congo erstwhile Djed Spence was substituted. Spence didn't person an injury. England's coaches were conscionable disquieted that helium was being overwhelmed connected the close flank. In making that move, Rice became the 5th antithetic right-back England person utilized successful the 4 matches of this tournament.

Rice isn't a earthy right-back. The past clip helium played determination for Arsenal was during an unsuccessful 20-minute stint against West Ham successful May, erstwhile Arteta's broadside won narrowly 1-0. The Arsenal brag switched Rice backmost into midfield erstwhile helium realised however overmuch his squad had suffered successful the centre of the transportation successful his absence.

That isn't truthful overmuch of a interest for Tuchel. England person precise capable alternatives, particularly with doubts implicit Rice's fitness. When Jude Bellingham deputised for Rice against Panama, dropping heavy erstwhile England didn't person the ball, helium was man-of-the-match and was statistically some the champion attacker and defender connected the pitch. Bellingham could comfortably fulfil that relation again against Mexico, with Morgan Rogers oregon Ebere Eze coming successful astatine No 10.

Beyond the statement astir right-back and cardinal midfield, determination are improbable to beryllium galore much changes for England from the broadside that yet saw disconnected DR Congo. Anthony Gordon's awesome substitute show - providing 2 assists for Harry Kane's 2 goals - means it volition beryllium a purely tactical determination for Tuchel whether the Barcelona antheral oregon Marcus Rashford starts the game.

Tuchel's delineation of the squad into starters and finishers has ne'er been much important than for this game. The starters mightiness beryllium designed to nullify the Mexico squad and quieten the Mexican crowd. The finishers, helium hopes, volition beryllium the guys who effort to triumph the crippled for England.

And if they bash that, they volition articulation an highly tiny and exclusive database of nations to person won astatine the Azteca Stadium.