Thomas Tuchel has given England supporters a proper boost ahead of the Panama clash by confirming that Bukayo Saka is pain free and ready to go. The Arsenal winger has been a worry in recent days, so hearing the England boss say he is fit and available to start will come as a massive relief to pretty much everyone connected with the Three Lions.
Saka is one of those players who just makes England tick. When he is on the ball, things happen. He creates chances, he draws fouls, he scores goals, and he gives the team an outlet that nobody else in the squad quite replicates. England without Saka in this kind of tournament is a noticeably less threatening side, so the news that he will be ready to start against Panama is about as good as it gets for Tuchel going into this one.
The downside, because there always has to be one, is the injury concern surrounding Reece James. The Chelsea right back has had an absolutely torrid time with injuries over the last couple of years, and nobody wants to see a player of his quality going through that again. England have decent options at right back, but James at his best is a seriously good footballer and losing him to another setback would be tough to take, both for the player and for England's prospects deeper into the tournament.
Panama, on paper, should not be causing England too many sleepless nights. But football has a funny habit of making you look daft when you say things like that, and Tuchel will know better than most that no game at international level is a free hit. England need to go out there, play with intent, and get the result that keeps their campaign moving in the right direction.
With Saka fit and firing, the tools are there to do exactly that. Now it is just a question of whether England can actually put it all together on the pitch, which has not always been a given in recent tournaments.
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