England will have to tread carefully with some important players against Ghana in Boston on Tuesday evening UK time, but they are in a good position to do so.
Beating the strongest of their group opponents – Croatia – first has put England in control of their World Cup qualifying group. Victory over Ghana will put them straight through as group winners into a last 32 tie against a third-placed team unless Saturday's opponents Panama beat the Croats hours later.
The Three Lions have fitness concerns over Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Marcus Rashford but the performance of the XVI rather than just the XI who beat Croatia 4-2 adds to the sense they can tread carefully.
Rice was withdrawn from the Croatia game feeling nerve pain in his hamstring which he has been managing since December. Whether he faces Ghana or not, it is something manager Thomas Tuchel will have to be mindful of throughout the six-week tournament.
The same is even more true of Arsenal team-mate Saka, limited to a second-half cameo last week because of an ongoing Achilles tendinitis issue problem and not expected to start until the Panama game.
Rashford felt tightness in his hamstring after his goalscoring appearance from the bench but he too has returned to training.
The in-game solution to Rice's discomfort was to move right-back Reece James into midfield, allowing former Leeds United Djed Spence to flourish in his place. But Kobbie Mainoo and Jordan Henderson offer specialist options, depending how offensive he wants Elliot Anderson's midfield partner to be.
Noni Madueke and Anthony Gordon started on Wednesday, and both have Tuchel's trust as good alternatives on the wings.
SQUAD GAME: Marcus Rashford, a scorer from the bench in England's 4-2 win over Croatia (Image: Michael Steele/Getty Images)placeholder image
SQUAD GAME: Marcus Rashford, a scorer from the bench in England's 4-2 win over Croatia (Image: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
And Marc Guehi improved the defence when he came on for Barnsley-born John Stones at centre-back.
So Tuchel has a depth at his disposal few other World Cup managers can rival.
Although Ghana also won their opening game, 1-0 against Panama, there is no reason why England cannot see them off with a rotated side and rather than show any complacency, the right number of changes by Tuchel should only help him ramp up competition in the squad. Do the job on Tuesday, and he can go further still at the weekend.
Rashford, who could potentially miss out on a permanent move to Barcelona now they have bought Gordon to do a similar job, says dealing with disappointment is important in the battle for places.
ONGOING ISSUE: England and Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice (Image: Francois Nel/Getty Images)placeholder image
ONGOING ISSUE: England and Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice (Image: Francois Nel/Getty Images)
"We understand it's difficult because everybody wants to play and a lot of players deserve to play," said the left-sided attacker.
"At some point, players are going to be disappointed, but it's about how you handle it."
Temperatures are forecast to be relatively cool for England’s first outdoor game of the tournament, aiding the “Premier League style” Tuchel wants them to play.
"I think we have to bring an intensity that they can't live with and we try and stick to that," said Rashford.
"If we can play at that level, it can win you games.
"The one thing we can predict is how we conduct ourselves over 90 minutes or 120 minutes so I think we just have to focus on that as players."