England's failed preparation for Ghana explained by Anthony Barry: 'They defend deeper than we expected'

England's Harry Kane looking sombre prior to the game between England and Ghana at World Cup 2026 — England endured an abysmal first half vs Ghana, with neither side getting a single shot on target. (Image credit: Getty Images)

England vs Ghana, in comparison to the Three Lions' previous thriller against Croatia, was a snoozefest.

But would it be a major international tournament without England looking like a pub side for at least one game?

Despite a whopping 79% possession, the Three Lions have fallen to the defensive genius of Carlos Queiroz, and will need a far superior performance in the second half to prevail in Group L.

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England's failed preparation vs Ghana revealed by Anthony Barry, as Three Lions enter break with 79% possession and 0 SOT

Reece James against Ghana, as his head collides with Jordan Ayew. — England entered the break with 79% possession and 0 shots on target. (Image credit: Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)

England fans that know their Africa Cup of Nations history will be aware of Queiroz's brilliance.

The Portuguese coach managed Egypt to the 2022 AFCON final, conceding just two goals the entire tournament.

Mohamed Salah is congratulated by his Egypt team-mates after scoring against Eswatini in October 2018. — Egypt were phenomenal under Carlos Queiroz. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Anthony Barry is certainly aware, although, perhaps not as much prior to the game, speaking at half-time about Ghana's defensive prowess.

"We expected it to be a difficult challenge against a tough opponent," confessed the Englishman.

"They defend deep... probably even deeper than we expected, about 10 to 12 metres deeper than the last two opponents they played against.

"They have this incredible speed which allows them to cover those spaces quickly, so it's been difficult to break them down.

"The headline for us is probably patience," surmised the Three Lions assistant manager. "Ghana are a team that possess exceptional counter-attacking options, and we've negated that so far."

Elliot Anderson against Ghana on the ball. — England struggled throughout the entirety of the first half vs Ghana at the 2026 World Cup. (Image credit: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

England will return in the second half hoping to shake off past demons on the international stage.

While Three Lions fans are used to such performances occurring after brilliant displays, if this is to be the year that it finally comes home, then being out-foxed by Ghana doesn't bode well.

For now, England remain the dominant side in possession, facing a Ghana side led by a defensive genius in Queiroz.

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Kedar Bayley is a trained journalist specialising in culture reporting. As a fan of Liverpool FC, he writes on the Reds often. Knowledgable about all things sports, cinema and television, you can find his words in Screen International, FourFourTwo, Manchester Evening News and more.