Jude Bellingham to the Rescue, Kane’s Record-Breaker, and England’s Endless Right-Back Curse!

England are through to the Round of 32 as Group L winners! But let’s be completely honest, Thomas Tuchel’s side made hard work of a 2-0 win over Panama at the MetLife Stadium. In this episode of Make Football Great Again, host Harry Brent is joined by the Mirror’s Chief Football Writer, John Cross, live from the stadium to dissect a laboured but much-needed victory. We break down another superstar performance from Jude Bellingham and discuss Harry Kane rewriting the history books by eclipsing Gary Lineker’s World Cup goalscoring record. We dive deep into the tactical gamble of Tuchel's reshuffled midfield, major structural warnings after Panama cut through England's defence, and the absolutely mind-boggling right-back injury curse that has claimed Jarell Quansah. Finally, we hand out our post-match player ratings and debate whether it’s time to fully commit to Jed Spence for the knockout rounds. Episode Timestamps 00:06 – Introduction & Match Overview: Harry and John react to England’s 2-0 win over Panama and topping Group L. 00:50 – The Jude Bellingham Show: Discussing Bellingham’s game-changing performance and why he’d walk into any world-class side. 02:28 – Tuchel’s Tactical Reshuffle: Breaking down the mass changes, the deeper role for Bellingham, and Kobbie Mainoo being left out. 04:00 – Defensive & Structural Concerns: Why Panama and Ghana’s counter-attacks prove England are wide open ahead of the knockout stages. 05:46 – The Right-Back Injury Curse: Jarell Quansah limps off. With Rhys James and Tino Livramento out, how does Tuchel solve this nightmare? 07:34 – Post-Match Player Ratings: John scores the squad, including Bukayo Saka’s fitness, Marcus Rashford’s sharpness, and Jordan Pickford’s nerves. 10:31 – Substitutes & Milestones: Jordan Henderson sets a historic 7th major tournament record, plus a look at Noni Madueke and the left-flank dilemma. 12:21 – Key Takeaway 1: The Alarming Panama Stats: Dissecting how Panama managed 13 shots and matched England's XG. 13:21 – Key Takeaway 2: Kane vs. Lineker & The Ballon d'Or: Breaking down Kane’s record-breaking night and his case for football's ultimate individual prize. 14:55 – Key Takeaway 3: The Case for Jed Spence: Why it's time for England to stop improvising and back Spence at right-back. 16:13 – Looking Ahead to the Round of 32: Key details for England's next knockout match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices