"Why England Can't Afford to Miss Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson Against DR Congo – But a Premier League Star Could Dampen Their World Cup Dreams"

ENGLAND face DR Congo in the Round of 32 at the World Cup, hoping to avoid the same fate as Germany.

The Three Lions’ old rivals were , but England’s German manager will be looking for his side to against and .

Thomas Tuchel and his staff will be mulling over a plan to avoid the same fate as Germany Credit: AP England will need both Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson to beat DR Congo Credit: PA

and helped get the job done in the 2-0 win over Panama to secure ‘s passage as top dog in Group L, which booked a date against in the Round of 32.

Struggles against sides playing a low block have been clear to see, with the African nation expected to set up in a similar fashion.

That means England will have a tactical conundrum to solve once again.

And to help us to understand how Tuchel and his staff might look to leap past The Leopards, SunSport’s tactics guru Dean Scoggins returns for the latest episode of Team Talk.

Rice v Anderson

There has been an interesting debate about who should play out of or . Elliot Anderson played solo in midfield against Panama, putting on a passing clinic against the Canal Men.

Bellingham was paired with the man for that clash rather than another traditional centre-mid, with the star coming up trumps with a goal and assist.

But according to , who has joined SunSport as a special World Cup analyst, he believes England should look to get more from their full-backs by playing alongside £105m Rice.

Walker believes the pair would help to neutralise the counter-attacking threat posed by DR Congo, with full-backs and then able to bomb on to support the wingers.

DR Congo are set to play in a narrow 5-3-2 shape, rather than with wingers. And they are not to be underestimated given they were able to earn a draw against European powerhouse .

That means England’s 3-1-6 attacking shape could be susceptible to turning over possession with Anderson isolated 2v1 in the middle of the park.

However, playing Rice alongside Anderson would eliminate such an overload, while O’Reilly and Spence can invert to create numerical superiority infield.

We have previously spoken about England’s triangle’s as well, and having the sitting pair of Rice and Anderson would give the full-backs the chance to create those overloads out wide.

Kyle Walker has argued John Stones could play right back for depleted England Credit: Getty But SunSport’s tactics guru Dean Scoggins reckons Djed Spence should be the starter Credit: Getty

Stones at right back?

England are running a bit short at full-back this tournament – a sentence you would have been considered crazy for saying two years ago.

In Walker’s day, he says it was a struggle to get a place. But with carrying a knock and Jarrell Quansah hobbling off against Panama, Spence has been left as the only natural option to play there.

However, defender Walker has suggested might be able to play there. But he looked sluggish at centre-back in the opener against .

The argument could be to also play there and set up with three centre-backs when in possession, but the concern with that is leaving the right winger alone to provide the width and pace when defending transitions.

DR Congo have dangerous runners on the counter-attack, meaning England should set up in more of a 2-2-6 or 2-4-4.

With Stones, that doesn’t work. He simply does not have the pace to recover if he is caught out of possession. Spence however would have the pace to cover even if he was asked to sit in build up.

The Wissa threat

might not have had the best of seasons for Newcastle in the Premier League, but as one of the two strikers up front for his country.

DR Congo’s 5-3-2 shape leaves two threats up front, which leaves Tuchel with the headache of having a 3v2.

Yoane Wissa has looked sharp for his nation and will pose a credible threat against England Credit: Getty There is also familiar faces like Aaron Wan-Bissaka who could be problematic for the Three Lions Credit: Getty

Wissa plays in a semi-circle behind his striker partner, which worked great against as he nipped in on a heavy touch to win a penalty and then score from the spot.

There is also the threat from the wing-backs when DR Congo do attack. Premier League fans will be quite familiar with the sight of Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

The likes of , Noah Sadiki and Chancel Mbemba will also be credible threats.

This game is certainly no given, and England can’t afford any complacency against an opponent who will keep them honest.