On the latest episode of Copa Independent, Kieran Jackson in Santa Clara and Miguel Delaney in Atlanta preview England’s last-32 clash against DR Congo – a team that should not be underestimated. Which way will Thomas Tuchel go with his wingers and full-backs? What and who do the Three Lions need to be wary of? And what lessons can England take from other giant-killings so far in the knockout stage?

On that topic, we also discuss the shock exits of Germany and the Netherlands – and the core reasons behind their downfall – as well as the competition’s standout team: the irrepressible France, after their 3-0 win over Sweden. USA’s last-32 tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the overwhelming wave of optimism stateside, is also a topic of conversation.

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Thomas Tuchel’s England side progressed to the knockout stage as Group L winners after a 2-0 victory over Panama – but are there more questions than answers for the Three Lions ahead of their last-32 clash against DR Congo on Wednesday?

Where does Tuchel go next with his unnecessary right-back conundrum? Who out of Rashford, Rogers and Saka took their opportunity from the start? And how much did England miss Declan Rice (a lot)? Kieran Jackson, Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly are stateside to discuss.

We also speak about two dramatic managerial exits in the last 24 hours: that of Uruguay’s Marcelo Bielsa and, of more surprise, Scotland’s Steve Clarke, who stepped down after Scottish hopes vanished on Saturday and they exited the World Cup. And we also speak about the best last-32 match-ups coming up this week, with the knockout phase starting with Canada vs South Africa on Sunday.

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The newly bloated 48-team World Cup format has plenty of problems, but perhaps the biggest of all has shown itself over the past two days, and it was entirely in Fifa’s control.

The decision to decide group rankings by head-to-head record instead of goal difference has killed the action in a series of games at the end of this opening stage, with so little on the line and none of the same jeopardy and drama as four years ago in Qatar.

Independent writers Miguel Delaney, Kieran Jackson and Lawrence Ostlere discuss the flawed format, as well as France’s thrashing of Norway’s B team – Miguel saw Ousmane Dembele score a hat-trick in Boston – and England’s big problem that Thomas Tuchel should have seen coming.

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