England were made to work far harder than expected against DR Congo, a side ranked 46th in the world by FIFA.
Sebastien Desabre’s side caught Thomas Tuchel’s England off-guard with a deliberate formation shift that exposed several tactical vulnerabilities.
DR Congo abandoned their usual 5-3-2 shape in favour of a 4-4-2, and the decision proved to be about far more than simply defensive organisation.
Their goalkeeper combined with three central players in the build-up phase, immediately outnumbering England’s front two of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.
Wide full-backs held their positions out on the flanks, dragging Marcus Rashford and Noni Madueke away from England’s central defensive line.
That spreading of the backline left England players in two minds, unsure whether to press high or hold a more conservative shape.
The off-ball movement from DR Congo’s midfielders pulled Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson into unfamiliar positions, with attackers dropping unmarked into deeper areas.
England were rescued largely by Harry Kane, who scored twice to help secure the result and send his side into the last 16.
Now facing Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, England must find solutions to the pressing problems that DR Congo so effectively exposed.
Mexico employ similar build-up principles to DR Congo, using a 4-3-3 formation with width and rotations to drag opponents away from passing lanes.
Striker Raul Jimenez has frequently dropped into deeper positions under Mexico boss Javier Aguirre, mirroring exactly what troubled England on Wednesday.
Tuchel faces a key decision in how to respond, with two primary tactical options available to him ahead of the last-16 tie.
The first is to adopt a more passive, compact defensive block, sacrificing territory but denying Mexico space to play through the lines.
The second is to maintain the high press but adjust its execution, potentially asking a central midfielder to join Kane and Bellingham in pressing man-to-man.
That approach would require a central defender to step up and cover behind Rice, with Marc Guehi considered well-suited to that front-footed role from his time at Manchester City.
What England cannot afford to do again is get caught in between the two approaches, which repeatedly happened during the DR Congo match.
In possession, England also struggled to build fluid attacks against the 4-4-2, continuing a pattern that had already emerged in group-stage fixtures against Ghana and Panama.
Prior to the tournament, Tuchel was committed to attacking down the flanks using what he described as “wide units,” a rotating triangle of full-back, attacking midfielder, and winger.
Eberechi Eze, who came on following a key hydration break, offered England a different attacking dynamic that the starting lineup lacked.
For England’s equaliser, Bukayo Saka drew out DR Congo’s full-back before Eze’s diagonal run pulled a central defender out of position, with Rice timing a run perfectly from right-back.
Bellingham appeared to thrive when moved to a left-sided midfield role, showcasing the dribbling quality and runs in behind that had been so effective against Panama.
In the first half, Rice had not made those supporting runs as naturally, prompting a frustrated Bellingham to drift across to the left side himself during that period.
The tactical adjustment to shift Rice to right-back and allow Bellingham a more natural left-sided role brought out qualities in both players that had been absent earlier.
Mexico have not conceded a single goal at this World Cup, making the prospect of breaking them down at the Azteca a formidable challenge.
Before the DR Congo game, Tuchel warned that supporters should not expect a glamorous performance, and the win certainly lived up to that billing.
However, through the difficulty of that contest, England uncovered role combinations and emerging partnerships that could prove valuable in the rounds ahead.
England would have preferred a more convincing display, but the tactical lessons from Wednesday night may ultimately prove to be exactly the preparation they required.
