England are facing problems within their squad for the 2026 World Cup, with former Three Lions defender Jamie Carragher criticizing manager Thomas Tuchel’s selection call-up.
Thomas Tuchel has some issues ahead of England vs. Mexico (Image: Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher has taken issue with manager Thomas Tuchel’s “bizarre” decision to call up Trevor Chalobah amid England’s right-back crisis. The Three Lions are facing a number of problems when it comes to their place in the World Cup.
Tino Libramento is sidelined with injury, while Jarrell Quansah and Reece James are also having problems. Jed Spence is also having a hard time convincing him.
Former England defender Carragher believes this is all a problem of Tuchel himself. The Liverpool icon told Sky Sports: “This all goes back to Thomas Tuchel’s decision in the right-back area. It just wasn’t right from day one in the team that was chosen.”
“After the tournament it was unwise. He named two very injury-prone players at right-back and brought in another right-back, Jed Spence, at left-back. But I think it was a strange decision to bring in Chalobah when there are injuries in that position. He’s not a right-back so he’s going to make himself short.”
One possible solution for Tuchel is to start midfielder Declan Rice at right-back. The Arsenal man came on as a late substitute in the win against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
But Carragher believes that is not a long-term option for Tuchel. He added: “No, I wouldn’t start Declan Rice at right-back.
“Look, England’s chances of going all the way in the World Cup are slim and I don’t think playing Declan Rice as a right-back from now until the end of the tournament is the solution.
“To be honest, I think you empty yourself out in the midfield. I think in the games where Declan Rice wasn’t playing, Elliott Anderson found it difficult to deal with opposition counter-attacks, and it was the same against midfield opponents.”
Declan Rice stands in at right-back against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Image: Getty Images)
“For me, Declan Rice will play in midfield.[Tuchel]has a decision to make. I think a lot of the criticism that was given to Jed Spence in the last game is a bit too much.”
“He didn’t have his best game. I have to say that, but apart from Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, I don’t think there’s been a player who’s had a stellar performance in this tournament. I think a lot of the problem in the last game was not so much the back four, but how easy it was to get into the back four.”
“We know defensively we don’t have a lot of world-class players and that’s probably the team’s weakness, but England made a lot of mistakes in the first 20 minutes and you can see how easy it was to get into the back four.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
