England scraped through. Don't dress it up.

Kane and Gordon saved England. That's the headline, and it's also the warning. When you need two individuals to bail you out against DR Congo, something is not right in the setup. A 2-1 win in the round of 32 is a result. It is not a performance.

That said, credit where it's due. Kane did what Kane does. When England needed someone to carry the weight, he carried it. Gordon got his moment too. Two players stepping up in a game England should have been controlling. The fact that they had to step up at all tells the real story.

Spence at right-back. Again.

This is not a surprise. It is not a one-off. Right-back has been a problem area for England for long enough now that calling it a problem area feels like an understatement.

Djed Spence struggled in Atlanta. That's the finding. Not mildly off the pace. Not a difficult night against quality opposition. Struggled. And the brutal truth is, if you're playing Spence at right-back in a World Cup knockout game and hoping for the best, you've run out of better options or you've made a selection error. Either way, it's on the staff.

The right-back position for England has felt threadbare for years. Spence getting this opportunity means someone made a decision to back him. That decision did not pay off against DR Congo. It needs to be revisited before England go any deeper in this tournament.

Kane: the constant

Whatever questions surround this England side, Kane is not one of them. He showed up. He delivered. In knockout football, that is what separates the ones who can handle pressure from the ones who bottle it.

Kane has never bottled it for England. That's a fact. His record speaks clearly enough that no one should still be debating whether he performs on the big stage. He performs. Every time. The debate should be around who he has next to him and behind him.

Gordon's moment

Anthony Gordon getting on the scoresheet in a round of 32 match is significant. This is exactly the stage where younger, hungry players either step up or go quiet. Gordon stepped up.

If England are going to go deep in this tournament, they need contributions from beyond the obvious names. Gordon providing that against DR Congo is the most genuinely positive thing to come out of this game. Not Kane scoring — that's expected. Gordon scoring. That's the tournament gaining a second gear.

The right-back issue has to be fixed

There is no version of England making a serious run at this World Cup where the right-back position is a liability. Teams will find it. They will target it. Better sides than DR Congo will identify Spence's weaknesses and attack that channel relentlessly.

If there's another option available, it needs starting next game. If Spence is genuinely the best England have right now, then the question becomes how you set the team up to protect him. Leave him exposed in open play and opponents will take full advantage.

It's a structural problem as much as a personnel one. The right side of England's defence has to be more than just a slot that needs filling. It needs to function. Right now, based on what we saw in Atlanta, it isn't functioning.

Our verdict

England won. Kane and Gordon are real reasons for optimism. But a 2-1 scoreline against DR Congo with Spence struggling tells you this squad has a visible weakness on the right side that better teams will not ignore.

The next game will tell us a lot more. If Spence starts again and the same problems appear, this England campaign will hit a wall earlier than anyone wants. Sort the right-back position. Do it now. There's no more room to wait and see.

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