Why did England struggle against DR Congo - and what can they learn?

Why did England struggle against DR Congo - and what can they learn?Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Tuchel's England needed two late Harry Kane goals to overcome DR CongoByUmir IrfanFootball tactics correspondentPublished4 minutes agoIt should not have been so hard for England against the 46th ranked team in the world. But Sebastien Desabre's remarkably brave DR Congo side caught England manager Thomas Tuchel's team off-guard with a formation shift which preyed on some of their vulnerabilities.England laboured for much of the game before being rescued by the brilliance of two-goal Harry Kane.So, with England now facing the massive challenge of playing Mexico at the Azteca Stadium in the last 16, they will need to step it up.What will they have learned, and where will they need to improve tactically to beat the World Cup hosts?DR Congo's dangerous build-up mirrors MexicoDR Congo set up in a 4-4-2 shape rather than their usual 5-3-2, and for more than just defensive reasons.Their play on the ball was among the toughest tests for Tuchel since the German took charge at the start of last year. With England intent on pressing high, DR Congo utilised their goalkeeper plus three players centrally in the build-up - outnumbering England's front two in Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.The DR Congo full-backs held their positions wide, pulling England wingers Marcus Rashford and Noni Madueke away from the central defenders.Image caption, In deep build-up, DR Congo spread their back four across the width of the pitch, using the goalkeeper as an extra outfield player. England's front two were unable to apply any meaningful pressure as a resultThis spreading out of the back line made it hard for England to close the distance.At times it seemed it caught players in two minds as to whether they should press high or hold their position.Sound familiar?Well, Mexico employ similar tactics, albeit with a 4-3-3 formation, using width and rotations to p...