England face Panama in their final group game and are almost certain to advance to the World Cup finals, but manager Thomas Tuchel is working hard to ensure the fitness of his key players.
Reece James is nursing a hamstring injury (Image: Nicolò Campo/LightRocket)
England have not finished the group stage yet, but they have already felt enough emotion from this World Cup.
Frustration caused by lackluster defending against Croatia was quickly replaced by euphoria after a strong second-half performance. After enjoying 45 minutes of football from the best England side in years, let alone the Thomas Tuchel era, the lackluster display in the stalemate against Ghana left some feeling sour.
The good news is that England are still in pole position to win the group, and a win against Panama to achieve that would be enough to cure the Ghanaian hangover from Sunday morning. But overall, it was a mostly positive week.
The bad news is that Tuchel could be forced into the match with health concerns for several of his key players. Chief reporter John Cross reports that Reece James is a major injury concern for England’s World Cup campaign. Chelsea defender James missed England’s final group game against Panama and his place in the final 32 games is also in serious doubt.
James is a concern for the remainder of the tournament after having to miss the final training session in Kansas City with a hamstring issue before the team heads to New Jersey.
James had to miss the final training session in Kansas City with a hamstring issue before the team headed to New Jersey. The 26-year-old missed much of last season with a similar issue, and the FA said he missed training to follow his own program, but a return date has not been set.
The Chelsea defender has also been the latest injury problem for the England manager, who lost Tino Livramento – the player who would have filled in for James – on the eve of the tournament.
With all due respect to Panama, there are worse games for James or any player to miss. However, the fact that Tuchel’s preparations have been hampered by fitness issues is far from ideal. Especially considering we haven’t even reached the knockout stage of the new super-sized tournament America and Company deserve.
Bukayo Saka is nursing an Achilles tendon injury (Image: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Tuchel has already had to make do without Bukayo Saka, who entered the tournament with an Achilles injury. There was also a question mark over the fitness of Declan Rice, who was seen struggling with a bandage on his calf towards the end of the game against Ghana. He has also reportedly been dealing with issues in recent months.
Both players endured a tough domestic season at Arsenal, culminating in helping the Gunners win their first Premier League title in over 20 years. Unfortunately, it’s also affecting England.
Saka is aiming to start against Panama but has been restricted to appearances off the bench and Noni Madueke looked dangerous in parts against Croatia, but England missed out on Arsenal’s talisman. Rice will also be a big loss, although the issue that prevented him from training on Thursday is not claimed to be serious.
In James’ case, he probably would have been rested for the game against Panama anyway. After all, England’s best all-round right-back has struggled with injuries at Chelsea in recent years, and as mentioned above, Saturday night’s game is by no means a heavyweight fixture.
But problems will arise if James’ absence extends beyond Panama’s one game.
If that happens, Ezri Konsa or Jarrell Quansah will be the options to play in James’ place, with the former expected to be shuffled in to replace the centre-back for Saturday’s game. Both are great players, but a completely different profile than James. There will never be anything like him or Livramento. Given that both players have primarily played as centre-backs at their clubs, it feels like playing right-back in the long term would effectively make them a square peg in a round hole.
Admittedly, neither appears to be a better fit for James’ role than Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was overlooked by the England manager. And while Jed Spence can play for England, England are in serious danger of lacking a natural right-back, despite being naturally right-footed and making left-back his preferred team.
Of course, those concerns will be allayed if James starts the majority of England’s games. But if this is not the case, questions will be asked of Tuchel’s decision not to select another traditional right-back to share the role with James.
England’s potential: Pickford. Konsa, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly. Anderson, Mainu. Saka, Bellingham, Rashford. Kane.
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