England head coach Thomas Tuchel has urged supporters to stay patient after his side were held to a frustrating goalless draw by Ghana in their second World Cup Group L outing, a result that has prompted fresh debate over whether the manager should turn to Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford.

The Three Lions entered Tuesday’s clash at the Boston Stadium on a high following an impressive 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opener, but they found no way past a stubborn Ghanaian defence that sat deep and absorbed pressure throughout the rain-soaked contest. Despite the stalemate, England remain top of the group level on four points with Ghana and will be strong favourites when they face Panama in New Jersey on Saturday.

Speaking after the match, Tuchel acknowledged the difficulty of breaking down a compact defence but insisted there was no cause for alarm. “It is a long tournament,” said the England boss. “I think the boys tried everything and again they played with the right energy. I know it’s a very different game and, in this case, if one team tries to play and to run against this deep block and you don’t find the spaces, it is difficult for you to create chances, it can be difficult to watch”. He added: “It is not as exciting as two teams trying to win it in a more open game. We know. We always try to entertain our fans. It was difficult today. I hope they don’t lose belief. It is a long way to go”.

Captain Harry Kane, who scored twice against Croatia, struggled to find openings against Ghana’s low block, though he did fire over in the 86th minute after Nico O’Reilly’s header had hit the crossbar. Tuchel dismissed suggestions that England are overly reliant on their star striker. “He was not involved as much as we would like to, but it was so narrow,” Tuchel said. “It was difficult to find space. The little moments that he had were just so unlucky”.

Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz admitted that his team’s game plan was specifically designed to neutralise England’s attacking threats. He said his team’s objective was to “block and frustrate” England from the first minute, and “we did it”.

With England struggling to break through, questions are mounting over whether Tuchel should hand starts to Saka and Rashford, who have been deployed from the bench. Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke failed to provide the creative spark needed, and pundits believe changes are imminent. The BBC’s chief football writer Phil McNulty observed that the Three Lions “needed a touch of individual magic” but “could not find it”, adding that there is “no need to panic” but this was “a reality check”.

Former England captain Wayne Rooney expects Tuchel to ring the changes for Saturday’s encounter with Panama. “For Thomas Tuchel, I now expect changes on Saturday night against Panama,” Rooney told BBC Sport. “England probed, but there are little details throughout that game that Tuchel will look at with the team and try to improve on. When a team is sitting in a low block, you have to cross the ball. It is very difficult to defend against. I don’t think we crossed the ball enough in 90 minutes”.

Former England defender Kyle Walker also believes “it is time for a change”. Writing in The Sun, Walker said it “might be the moment” for Saka to start against Panama and “get some minutes in his legs” for the knockout stages. He added that Rashford “needs a chance too”, and “we can see what the two of them bring”.

England will look to secure top spot when they face Panama on Saturday, while Croatia take on Ghana in the other Group L fixture.