NEW YORK -- Three matches in, and we don't yet know what Thomas Tuchel's England are. They thrilled in the second half against Croatia, and did well in moments against Panama. Is that the real England? Or is it the one who struggled against Ghana's low block, and were frustrated in the first half in the New Jersey rain on Saturday? Or are these performances symptomatic of World Cup group stages where at times you're playing against immovable objects?
You sense Tuchel is still trying to figure this out. "The football becomes so complicated with the appearance of an opponent," he said on Saturday.
The dilemma facing Tuchel at this stage is, for all the positives of Jude Bellingham's form and Harry Kane's ruthlessness in front of goal, there are niggling questions elsewhere. The attack still trying to find its feet. The defensive uncertainty. And the injuries. A penny for Trent Alexander-Arnold's thoughts right now as England scramble for a right-back for their round-of-32 match with both Reece James and Jarell Quansah sidelined.
At the end of the match against Panama, England stood in front of their bank of fans and soaked in "Wonderwall." It's what they did after the 4-2 win over Croatia. Back then in Dallas we'd just seen an England team dismantle the opponent in the second half. They played high octane, rock'n'roll football -- perhaps football's version of cricket's Bazball, but more successful. But underpinning it was thought, process and understanding of how they ideally want to play football and the team they want to be.
But that's all very well and good when the opponent lets you play like that. Ghana was different. They had 11 men behind the ball, and basically built a fortress in front of their goal and used the outstanding Antoine Semenyo to counter. England misfired, and were frustrated. Their wingers came in for criticism. Echoes of previous tournament heartbreak started getting louder.
It was the same in the first half against Panama. England were knocking at the door, but just couldn't unlock it. Then came the second-half bounce, just like Croatia, and Bellingham started pulling the strings. England won, Kane became England's record World Cup goalscorer, and Jordan Henderson became England's first men's player to play in four World Cups.
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How you perceived England's win over Panama was a classic Rorschach Test. On one hand it's an England win at a World Cup, and a clean sheet. On the other hand, Panama are yet to score here, and have never won a World Cup match in six attempts. Tuchel post-match was balanced. "It's not problem if these matches feel tough, it'll help us in the next match," he said. Tuchel feels England are on the verge of clicking. A tricky group stage navigated (trickier than perhaps perceived on the outside), now for the real thing. "The first game was a more technical opponent, a more attacking game. The second and third were so physical in the duals, happy to be in deep blocks and playing on the counter attacks. It teaches us to be disciplined and trust the process in a match."
But it leaves us with questions on exactly what this team are, and what they'll look like at their best, and if that superb second half against Croatia was a rare moment where the stars aligned.
If you want reasons for optimism though, then one star who is shining is Bellingham. England got him on the ball more against Panama, and he turned the match in England's favour. He used his physicality and deft feet to score their opener, poking the ball home off a corner as he kept his Panamanian marker at bay. And for the second, his perfectly-weighted cross found Kane in the box to nod home.
There are moments where you feel his mind is already three steps ahead of where the play is. You can see him getting frustrated when reality clashes with his expectation. But that's the beauty of him, and why he is now indispensable. For so long it looked like he may play an impact role at this World Cup, with Morgan Rogers preferred. Well, he's England's main man now.
But other key protagonists are yet to find their rhythm. For James, that's because of injury. His hamstring issues are well-known, so it remains a great mystery as to why Tuchel didn't replace the stricken Tino Livramento with another genuine right-back. The stand-in option Quansah is also now lying on his back, foot elevated, trying to heal a hurt ankle in time to feature in the knockout stages. And there are other players where the football looks to have caught up with already exhausted legs. Bukayo Saka wasn't at his explosive best on Saturday, the Achilles injury he's been nursing could still be troubling him. Tuchel started Noni Madueke in the first two matches and gave Saka his start against Panama, but Saka is yet to find his best form and rhythm. Others are in the same boat.
So it's against that backdrop that England face Congo DR on Wednesday in Atlanta. There's plenty to build on, but also questions still hovering over this group. Tuchel knows that, trying to mould his team's expectations with reality.
At full time as "Wonderwall" rained down on the team, Kane moved ahead to soak in the song. Other teammates stood and watched the fans. "I encouraged everyone to take it in," Tuchel said. "It's very easy to get carried away with your own expectations, you expect to win every match and the group -- it's just not like this, it's hard work."
Top of the group secured, but now the true business starts and we'll learn what this England team are made of.