World Cup group stage concludes as Argentina rest Lionel Messi, England chase group stage win and more

So here we are, at the end of the World Cup group stage. What a journey across 72 games it has been. Well, mostly. I can't imagine Group F will live long in the memory. Admit it, you've just had to check what was in that, haven't you? Today's action begins with another quartet that at the moment appears to rank among the more uninspired. Yes, it was intriguing to watch Ghana give England a hard time, and the Three Lions themselves looked impressive in beating Croatia. It is, however, going to take something remarkable from both Panama and, to a lesser extent, Ghana to have this group take on a surprising shape.

Before that, let's take a look at Argentina and someone other than Lionel Messi. Someone who is instead auditioning for the role of Messi's running mate. And they say this World Cup has been too obsessed with star power. Not this column, we're skipping right over Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal's tilt with Colombia with first place in Group K on the line.

Alvarez, Martinez vying for striking role

It is a hard one assessing an Argentine attacker who is not Messi. For so long the rest of the attack has been assessed not by what they bring to the team but what they bring out of its greatest player. If Paulo Dybala had played in a great many other periods in Argentine history, he would have had more than 40 caps, but there is enough accommodation required for one languid left-footer. Before they played together at Paris Saint-Germain, there was much speculation about the relationship between Mauro Icardi and Messi. As for Gonzalo Higuain, he might have scored 33 goals for Argentina, but he seemed doomed to be remembered for the misses.

In Qatar, Julian Alvarez discovered the value on the flip side of that particular equation. Now make no mistake, the young striker was very good in his own right, scoring two to beat Croatia in the semifinal, but much of the praise that came his way was filtered through the lens of how his movement creating space in which his No.10 could be at his most effective.

All of the above is to say that perhaps it is not a problem that Lautaro Martinez has only one shot from 120 minutes across the first two games. After all, he also won a penalty that Messi missed and the aggression of his runs off the ball, and his pressure without it is an elegant counterbalance to the more cerebral qualities of his strike partner. Perhaps in allowing Messi to do Messi things, Martinez has proven himself to be worth the starting striker's role going forwards.

Or perhaps he has left a gap in the team for Alvarez to reclaim. The spot might have been his to begin with if he had not been dealing with an ankle injury in the early weeks of the tournament. With Lionel Scaloni expected to rotate for the game against Jordan, a chance could present itself to Alvarez at the tip of the attack. "I didn't come in the best condition to play the trial games, but now I feel very healthy," said Alvarez after the Austria win. "I'm just trying to help the team and carry out the role given to me."

Bagging a few against Jordan might just mean that Alvarez's role expands heading into the knockout rounds.

Will Tuchel regret his James gamble?

It's our first callback of the daily World Cup preview columns and it's a reluctant one. As Tony Soprano says, remember when is the lowest form of conversation, and I've always thought of these pieces as a conversation between you and I dear reader. One where you just listen as I speak. The best form of conversation.

Anyway, remember when we asked before England's opener if Reece James could hold up for a tournament? The Chelsea right back is so phenomenally talented that you would want to gamble on his fitness. Gamble Thomas Tuchel did and it appears to be at risk of backfiring. James missed training on Thursday and Friday -- the Football Association say he is "following his own programme" and is a doubt for Saturday's game against Panama.

That is even more of a problem than it might be otherwise, given that Tino Livramento withdrew from the squad with injury before the tournament. Replacing him was Trevoh Chalobah, with Jarrell Quansah named by Tuchel as a new option at right back more than center back. 

For a game like Panama it seems more likely that Djed Spence will shuffle across from left to right back, and that could work. On his natural side he can offer the sort of stretching runs to the byline that came too infrequently as England ran aground against Ghana. What happens when Spence gets there is more of a challenge. At Tottenham the 25-year-old proved to be a willing runner, but he does not exactly cut opposition apart when they get into the final third.

If James' issue rumbles on and on deep into the knockout stages, Spence might actually prove effective for tougher games when England have less of the ball. Against Panama, perhaps Ecuador next and even a potentially brutal round of 16 game against Mexico in Mexico City, might Tuchel wish he had offered himself a bit more guile among his defensive options? Trent Alexander-Arnold, the most creative fullback the game has seen in a generation, never really got a look under current management. It's unlikely, but that might be something England live to regret.

Can Croatia prise apart Ghana?

If you've seen a Carlos Queiroz team play at a World Cup before, you know what to expect from Ghana against Croatia. Perhaps they can choose to cut loose, given that their draw with England gave them the four points that will be enough to take them to the last 32. Maybe word gets through to them that the Group L leaders are wobbling against Panama. Then again, even if Ghana did take the handbrake off, they've proven themselves to be such a good defensive outfit that they could ratchet up the attack and still hold firm at the back. Just look at how little they allowed England.

Now, Croatia are very good at the sort of passive control that allows them to drag so many knockout ties to a penalty shootout. Their ability to keep the ball and dictate the tempo makes them a very difficult opponent for a Brazil or Portugal, but when they have to take the game to an opponent, they often falter. Against Panama they put up just six shots in a game they were not winning until the 54th minute. Their two goals against England were brilliant, but in a way that is very hard to replicate. You can tee Martin Baturina up 25 yards from goal 100 times. He might only score four of those chances. Ante Budimir's goal against Panama might have a great xG value, but you do not often see the interplay down the right flank that released Josip Stanisic to deliver a fine cross.

Croatia have been scoring great goals, and you tend not to do that in bulk. That is a real worry when the one thing you cannot do against Ghana is fail to score. The three-time semifinalists are closer to the brink than you might think.