"Tuchel has got Spence, who he rested the other day," said Gary Neville, former England right-back.
Football analysts heavily criticized the selection structure that left key Premier League defenders out of the initial tournament squad entirely.
"If you went across the professional game and asked, I don't know, 20 football managers, I think 19 would have taken Trent, I really do," said Alan Pardew, former Newcastle manager.
Pardew highlighted that tactical instability across the backline hampered the squad's cohesion during the group stages.
"I can't see the logic of why not taking him," said Pardew.
The tactical setup drew further scrutiny regarding structural vulnerabilities ahead of the high-stakes match against the Congolese side.
"I think Panama was a bit more tricky, I could understand why he didn't take him, I personally would have taken him," said Pardew.
The pundit stressed that the lack of established player pairings made the team highly susceptible to an early exit.
"And I think that's really [been] underlined [in] the last couple of games," said Pardew.
According to talkSPORT, the winner of the knockout match in Atlanta secures a place in the World Cup quarterfinals.
"But I just don't think we look at a team that's together," said Pardew.
The team dynamic appeared noticeably detached compared to rival nations competing in North America.
"We look like a team that's in the dark, searching for clues, searching for a relationship," said Pardew.
Pardew warned that a failure to establish chemistry between the goalkeeper and the central defenders could prove disastrous.
