Reece James is injured and Quansah has suffered an ankle sprain. The Telegraph believes that Tuchel's insistence on not bringing a backup right-back at the time has now cost the entire team dearly. With the knockout stages approaching, England's right-back position has collapsed almost completely. It now seems absurd that Tuchel did not bring Alexander-Arnold.

The Daily Telegraph pointed out that before the Panama match, England's right-back injury crisis had a touch of Wildean irony: "Mr. Tuchel, to lose one right-back may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two in succession looks like carelessness."

Now the manager will likely add another injured player, with Quansah joining Reece James and Tino Livramento on the injury list. At this rate, even 62-year-old Lee Dixon might consider leaving the ITV commentary booth to fill the void.

When asked about Reece James's sudden hamstring injury—which will keep him out of at least two World Cup matches—Thomas Tuchel said: "Nobody could have predicted this would happen."

However, anyone with a modicum of foresight could see that this player has missed 129 matches across his club and England career over five years, making him highly susceptible to injury at major tournaments. Tuchel has always valued James highly; when he managed Chelsea, he once confessed he wished he had two Reece Jameses.

Now, it is inevitable that people will question whether this favouritism has put England in an avoidable situation, with the team facing multiple do-or-die knockout matches without a world-class right-back available.

During the final half hour of the difficult Panama match, Spence temporarily shifted to right-back. Against Panama, ranked 43rd in the world and the only team in this tournament without a goal, this temporary solution was barely adequate. However, against Brazil, Argentina and France, this depleted defence will likely collapse entirely. The responsibility will inevitably fall on Tuchel.

He failed to recognize James's fragile fitness and should have noted that Livramento was plagued by injury problems during his time at Newcastle, yet he still brought two players who could be injured at any moment to the United States. Meanwhile, the talented right-back Alexander-Arnold, whose transfer from Liverpool to Real Madrid caused a major stir in football, is now forced to sit on the bench and waste his time.

It is not difficult to imagine Alexander-Arnold's feelings seeing the team has to rely on Spence to save the day. The 27-year-old has just regained his best form, performing brilliantly in the final stages of his first season in La Liga, fully demonstrating the comprehensive capabilities of an inverted full-back. But it was already too late; Tuchel simply did not include him in the World Cup squad. When Livramento was injured, Tuchel had the opportunity to reconsider this decision, but the stubborn German instead called up centre-back Trevoh Chalobah. With these arrangements, Quansah, who has played as a centre-back for Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen for years, was forced to play as a right-back in an emergency.

Such an unusual lineup made Gary Neville, who understands the essence of full-back play deeply, wince. "If someone had told me months ago that Quansah would be playing right-back in a major tournament, I would have thought the team was in serious trouble," he said. "I saw Quansah play right-back in the League Cup final, and it was not a pleasant sight."

The lowest point of the match came in the 63rd minute, when Quansah's ankle gave way and he fell heavily, writhing in pain on the ground.

This brief appearance has already raised questions about his suitability for the position. In the crucial knockout stages, should he really be asked to defend against wing wizards like Vinicius and Doué? For now, such speculation is set aside. Quansah appears likely to be ruled out by injury, and Tuchel will have to find another solution, bringing in Spence or Ezri Konsa to replace him.

What is most infuriating is that the situation should never have reached this point. Alexander-Arnold has always been the perfect choice for Tuchel. Having been overlooked by Southgate for years, he deserved this opportunity in the tournament. He has two Premier League titles, transferred to Real Madrid, which has won the Champions League fifteen times, and has repeatedly proved his ability in crucial club matches. Yet Tuchel chose to experiment with a series of alternative players with higher injury risks.

Finally, England scored two goals to secure first place in the group, temporarily masking a hidden danger that will soon become a crisis. As the true knockout stage of the World Cup begins, the right-back position is in complete disarray.

Tuchel's decision to exclude Alexander-Arnold was mistaken at the time, and now appears completely absurd.

Traducido por IA.

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