England got through their FIFA World Cup round-of-16 fixture against DR Congo, but the manner of that victory should concern Thomas Tuchel. A side ranked 46th in the world pushed England to their limits, and Harry Kane's two-goal intervention was ultimately what saved them.

How DR Congo exposed England's high press

Sébastien Desabre's DR Congo abandoned their usual 5-3-2 in favour of a 4-4-2, and the switch paid dividends in the build-up phase. By deploying their goalkeeper alongside three central players, they consistently outnumbered England's front two of Kane and Jude Bellingham, making it difficult for the press to gain any traction.

Meanwhile, DR Congo's full-backs stayed wide, dragging Marcus Rashford and Noni Madueke away from England's central defenders and stretching the backline. England's players appeared caught between pressing aggressively and holding a compact shape — a hesitation that allowed DR Congo to recycle possession with relative ease.

The concern is that Mexico, who are yet to concede at this World Cup, employ strikingly similar principles. Using a 4-3-3 with width and clever rotations, Mexico pull opponents away from passing lanes, and striker Raul Jimenez frequently drops deep under manager Javier Aguirre — mirroring the movement of DR Congo's attackers that disrupted Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson.

England's two options against Mexico

Tuchel faces a straightforward choice ahead of the Azteca Stadium encounter. He can instruct his side to sit in a more passive, compact block — conceding territory but denying space — or he can persevere with his high press, but execute it with greater precision.

One tactical adjustment that could sharpen the press is asking a central midfielder to push forward alongside Kane and Bellingham, pressing man-to-man against Mexico's centre-backs and defensive midfielder. To make this work, a central defender would need to step into the space left behind — Marc Guehi, who regularly performs this role at Manchester City, appears well suited to the task.

What Tuchel cannot afford is a repeat of Wednesday's indecisiveness, where England ended up stranded between both approaches.

Emerging attacking combinations

England's possession play also laboured against the DR Congo 4-4-2, continuing a pattern visible in the group stage against Ghana and Panama. Tuchel had built his side around wide units — triangles of full-back, attacking midfielder, and winger rotating to pull opponents out of shape before exploiting the space created.

Those units functioned poorly at times, partly due to injuries among the full-backs. But the game against DR Congo may have unexpectedly produced a combination that works. For England's equaliser, Bukayo Saka drew out DR Congo's full-back, Eberechi Eze's diagonal run pulled a central defender with him, and Rice — operating from a right-back position — recognised the space and drove into it.

The subsequent tactical shift — Rice at right-back, Bellingham in a more natural left-sided midfield role — appeared to free both players. Bellingham, who had drifted left out of frustration in the first half, thrived in that position against Panama, and reuniting him with that role seemed to unlock England's best football late in the game.

Tuchel had warned before kick-off not to expect a polished performance, and he was right. But in grinding through adversity, England may have accidentally discovered the formula they need to break down Mexico at the Azteca.