Richards urges Tuchel to drop Madueke & names replacement

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Former Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards has heavily urged Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel to drop Arsenal winger Noni Madueke for the country's World Cup round of 16 clash against Mexico. Insisting that England's attacking fluency has hit a major roadblock, Richards argued that Bukayo Saka must immediately return to the starting lineup.

'Saka has to start!'

The Three Lions were made to sweat in their round-of-32 clash with DR Congo, eventually coming from behind to win 2-1 and punch their ticket into the last 16. However, the performance left much to be desired, particularly in the wide areas, where England looked disjointed and lacking in ideas.

Asked what changes Tuchel needs to make, Richards told the BBC: "He needs to sort out the right-back area and decide which wingers he wants to play. I think [Marcus] Rashford didn't really live up to expectations, and [Anthony] Gordon did really well on that left-hand side when he came on. But if Saka is fit, Saka has to start – it's as simple as that. Even if he's 80 per cent fit, he has to start."

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How do Madueke's stats measure up to Saka?

In terms of numbers, Madueke has 15 caps for England, along with one goal and four assists at international level. During this World Cup, he has started three matches and come off the bench once, and he set up a goal against Croatia in England's opening group-stage fixture.

Saka, by contrast, boasts far greater international experience, with 53 caps, 14 goals and 11 assists to his name for the Three Lions. In the tournament so far, he has started just once, coming on as a substitute in the other three matches, yet he has still managed to create two goals – against Croatia and Panama.

Barry's 'brilliant idea'

Tuchel has revealed that a "brilliant idea" from assistant coach Anthony Barry to switch Declan Rice to right-back sparked England's dramatic comeback win over DR Congo. The change, made in the 70th minute alongside Eberechi Eze's introduction for Djed Spence, quickly paid off as Kane scored twice to complete a 2-1 victory.

"Anthony Barry had a brilliant idea to put Declan there," Tuchel said after the match. "To have his quality from the side, to get more difficult crosses in there, more difficult to defend, more crosses and outswingers. Also have a bit more support for Saka, and with Ebs Eze we had a bit more of a connection on the right side that helped and opened it up. So full credit to my assistant."

England v Congo DR: Round Of 32 - FIFA World Cup 2026

Mexico test up next

England are now preparing for a huge clash with co-hosts Mexico at the intimidating Azteca Stadium. The game will be played at altitude, which Tuchel concedes gives Mexico a leg up over his side.

The German coach added: "The altitude will be a big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it. It just takes too much time. We have only three days in between these matches. It’s physically just not possible to adapt to the altitude."