Alan Pardew urges Thomas Tuchel to try diamond midfield for England

Thomas Tuchel will oversee England's final World Cup preparation on Wednesday night. Alan Pardew has urged him to switch to a diamond midfield for the tournament. England face Costa Rica in Orlando at 9 pm BST before opening the group stage against Croatia on June 17. Pardew argues a diamond lets England field Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Morgan Rogers together, while still offering a striker slot for Ollie Watkins or Harry Kane. He describes the resulting lineup as a "fantastic‑looking XI". Tuchel, a former Chelsea manager, has favoured a 4‑2‑1‑3 shape throughout his England tenure, including the recent win over New Zealand. He has also deployed a flat three midfield in a 4‑3‑3, a system used in World Cup qualifying against Latvia and Albania and in a March friendly versus Uruguay. Bukayo Saka's fitness remains a concern after an Achilles injury disrupted his season. Saka, who plays for Arsenal, is being monitored by the England staff. Gabby Agbonlahor has suggested Saka be dropped if not fully fit, and England may replace him up to 24 hours before the opening match. Rio Ngumoha is ineligible for a replacement because he was not listed in the provisional 55‑man squad, despite his man‑of‑the‑match performance against New Zealand.