David Sneyd reports from Atlanta Stadium

IN THE PRESS conference room at the Atlanta Stadium, two 30-inch television screens were set up either side of the top table.

England manager Thomas Tuchel and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford were due to speak to the media in an hour’s time ahead of Wednesday’s round of 32 class with DR Congo.

Everyone had time to kill. The France-Sweden game was being shown on the screens and, as the room slowly began to fill, pretty much everyone was glued to what was happening.

The murmur of idle chat became quieter.

All eyes were on Kylian Mbappe as he raced through on goal only for his clinical finish to be ruled out for offside.

One Fifa volunteer – he was French – was not too impressed with the decision.

Moments later, when Mbappe struck the post and saw his rebound scrambled off the line, the volunteer threw his arms in the air and left the room in despair.

He returned just in time to watch Michael Olise hit the post with a spectacular overhead kick and Ousmane Dembele fire inches wide with the follow-up.

He blew out his cheeks and leaned against the wall.

It was still 25 minutes until Tuchel spoke, and then news broke that Ronald Koeman had stepped down as the Netherlands boss following their penalty shootout exit to Morocco.

The main question now was if we would also be informed that Julian Nagelsmann followed suit before the England crew arrived?

That is the precipice these elite managers are dangling above.

Germany’s exit to Paraguay on penalties was dire in so many respects, and the stat doing the rounds in the immediate aftermath of that shock in Boston was that since Italy (2006), Spain (2010) and Germany (2014) last won the World Cup none of them had won a game in the knockout rounds.

The Spaniards can scrap that on Thursday when they face Dallas on Thursday and then OH! OH! OH!

Our French friend from Fifa is leading the room in celebration of Mbappe’s opener for France. It’s a stunning goal and the latest reminder of their quality.

As the game approaches half-time the screens switch to the empty top table in front of us.

Everyone would gladly wait another hour to speak with Tuchel and Pickford it meant being able to enjoy what France were serving up.

Their performance is the standard-bearer of the knockout stages so far. Between Brazil’s comeback win with a goal in stoppage time against Japan, co-hosts Canada striking late to beat South Africa, Erling Haaland doing the same in a tense contest with the Ivory Coast and the two aforementioned penalty shootouts, there have been great moments rather than any serious signifier of something that could make this feel like a truly great World Cup.

France’s display shattered that narrative. They are emerging as the team of this World Cup, led by Kylian Mbappe who now has 18 goals overall with six in this edition alone. Olise, with five assists, is more than just an understudy to greatness as he finds a niche for his own mercurial talents.

It was against this backdrop that one of the first questions put to Tuchel when he arrived was to speak to the children of England and how his team could entertain them with a performance against DR Congo.

“Maybe we need to define entertainment. We don’t know what’s coming. We don’t want to ruin expectations,” Tuchel said. “We all want to play front-foot football, it can also be entertaining to feel the spirit of the team. Hopefully they feel how much it means to the players [to represent England].”

The nature of this press conference meant Tuchel was also exposed to cultural references which he did not see coming, like when a reporter asked him about Jude Bellingham saying he would like to be the next James Bond.

“What are you talking about? I am living in a bubble here,” the England boss said.

The reporter suggested that Die Another Day would be the Bond film worth watching before Wednesday’s match.

“Ah, I was not spontaneous enough for that,” Tuchel said, smiling.

That rigidness has been evident in how his team, who he says are favourites to beat DR Congo and need not shy away from that, have performed in the group stages. “Now is the moment to find ways to win, to dig in, to be patient and do what we do to the highest level. Our mindset is clear and we’re ready.

“We have the team spirit, commitment, quality, we have the trust and we have the belief.”

Tuchel also provided a succinct breakdown of what he expects from DR Congo. “Compact and physical, a well drilled team. They play 5-3-2, sometimes a 4-4-2 diamond. They go with the high press and a low block.

“They are well-drilled, direct and dangerous on counter attacks, they’re not shy making it into a running game and playing for second balls. They didn’t allow a lot of chances and goals against them [in the group stage]. That is what waits for us.”

Interestingly, the manager explained that when it comes to penalties there is an established protocol in place from the FA that has already predetermined who will be the takers – provided they are on the pitch – and it will not be left to simply asking who might fancy taking one.

Tuchel, along with Pickford, insisted the knockout stage is where England will thrive. The pressure and the high stakes will bring the best out of them, they reckon. And the manager also had an interesting way of interpreting the defeats for Germany and the Netherlands.

“I think it can calm us down in a way. It’s narrow margins and helps us not to over expect what is happening in this World Cup. Teams are well-prepared and defend at the highest level. For us, it helps us to calm our minds.

“That’s what key players do and in key moments, in a key phase of the tournament, dig in and relentlessly do what you do, you rely on your top quality players. We have a lot of them. If the question is if we can step up the answer is yes.”

Mexico in the Azteca will be waiting for the winners in the last 16, so England better be ready to take flight at this World Cup.