England may have booked their place in the World Cup knockout stages as group winners, but Roy Keane believes Thomas Tuchel is still no closer to knowing his strongest starting XI.
The Three Lions overcame Panama 2-0 in their final Group D clash to finish top of the standings on Saturday night, with Jude Bellingham once again proving the difference on the biggest stage.
Bellingham produced another match-winning display, scoring a superb second-half opener before supplying Harry Kane with the cross that allowed the England captain to head home his record-breaking goal.
Yet despite England progressing comfortably into the last 32, former Manchester United captain Keane tore into Tuchel’s management after the final whistle, insisting the German’s constant tinkering remains a major concern.
England have made seven changes across their opening three matches in North America, with five alterations introduced for Saturday’s victory over Panama.
Keane believes that level of experimentation suggests Tuchel still has no settled team ahead of Wednesday’s knockout showdown with DR Congo.
“The top players eventually turned up in the second half,” Keane said on ITV.
“The opposition were really poor, so we could be critical of England if they didn’t get the job done – but they did.
“They move on to tougher games. As much as there were pluses from some of the star lads today, the manager has done a lot of chopping and changing. I don’t think he has a clue what his best XI is. That’s not good.”
While Keane questioned Tuchel, Gary Neville singled out Bellingham as the player carrying England through the tournament.
The former England defender believes the Real Madrid star is operating at a level none of his teammates have yet matched and warned the rest of the squad they must improve quickly if they are to challenge for the trophy.
“Absolutely,” Neville replied when asked whether Bellingham is England’s standout performer.
“He’s the one player who looks like he’s in form, who’s fresh, sharp, lively. He’s played at the level you’d expect.
“The rest of them are going to have to get to his level and form quite quickly. Thomas Tuchel said we will step up for the bigger games – they’re going to have to.”
Neville was equally impressed by Bellingham’s opening goal, praising the midfielder’s balance and composure inside a crowded penalty area.
“From being a defender in that position, you are pressing against the forward, looking to do enough to disrupt him and put him off.
“How Jude kept control and his eye on the ball and the technique to finish is absolutely brilliant.”
Ian Wright also hailed Bellingham’s mentality, insisting the 23-year-old continues to silence critics who mistake supreme self-belief for arrogance.
“I’ve always backed Jude,” Wright said.
“What we’ve seen him do, what he’s capable of doing. He’s confident.
“The fact he has a lot of confidence, people kind of interpret it as arrogance. But he’s someone who plays exactly the same no matter who he plays against.
“He goes for it and wants to do the best he can. He wants to put the team on his shoulders and run with it. He relishes it.”
Even Neville, despite praising England’s result, admitted Tuchel still has work to do before the knockout rounds.
“I don’t think Thomas Tuchel will be walking off the pitch thinking it’s perfect right now,” he said.
“We’ve got to get Declan Rice back in the team. We’ve got to get the back four more solid. It looked like they cut through us a few times. They didn’t have the quality to punish us, but we are going to have to step up.”
England now face DR Congo in the round of 32 on Wednesday (5pm).
