England have conceded seven goals in their last two matches, and The Guardian highlights that Tuchel needs to fix the defence. England desperately need a clean sheet to boost morale, but Tuchel's frequent rotation of the defensive line has prevented him from establishing a stable back four. The situation is far from ideal. Since Alexander-Arnold last played for England, Tuchel has tried eight right-backs, yet the defence remains weak. So why not give Alexander-Arnold a chance? It seems there would be nothing to lose.

England's defence looked solid at the end of 2025, but appearances were deceiving. The team successfully negotiated World Cup qualifying without conceding and kept a clean sheet in a friendly against Wales. However, maintaining clean sheets has become increasingly difficult this year.

In 2026, England have played 13 matches but managed only 4 clean sheets. It won't be long before Tuchel may need to reconsider his approach: managing this team requires embracing tactical flexibility on the pitch.

Of course, there's irony in advising Tuchel to fix the defence. Wasn't that what everyone expected? At the World Cup semi-final against Argentina, England's defensive performance was poor.

However, in Saturday's Nations League opener, Tuchel's team narrowly lost 3-2 to Spain, but at least their tactical approach was aggressive and the game was fluid, though defensive lapses remained.

England took the initiative and went ahead with a brilliant attacking spell, pushing Spain to the brink, but failed to maintain their advantage. Against a top-level team, they lost the lead again. While this defeat wasn't solely due to defensive failures, Tuchel still has many tactical issues to resolve before Tuesday's match against the Czech Republic in Prague.

This is the second of England's four matches in this international break, and the team needs a win to have a good chance of advancing to the quarter-finals in March. On Saturday, the team will travel to Rijeka to face Croatia, who will likely be stronger than the Czech Republic—the Czechs failed to qualify for the World Cup despite being in a relatively weak group.

England desperately need a clean sheet to boost morale. Against Spain, the team's defence showed concerning fragility, with the opposition's expected goals from open play reaching 3.08. England could have been losing 4-0 before Anthony Gordon equalised after Lamine Yamal's opening goal.

Consecutive victories in World Cup qualifying against Albania, Andorra, Latvia and Serbia provide limited reference value.

Since then, England's goal has been breached by Uruguay, Japan, Croatia, DR Congo, Mexico, Norway, Argentina, France and Spain. The clean sheets kept against New Zealand and Costa Rica in World Cup warm-ups didn't truly test the team; clean sheets against Ghana and Panama in the group stage also had an element of luck.

Problems exist both in individual performances and the overall system. Both of Spain's goals came from England errors, with Guehi and O'Riley paying the price. Pickford has been inconsistent throughout the World Cup, and Ngoyo, as Guehi's centre-back partner, has been volatile.

Tuchel wants an aggressive defensive line. In the last 13 matches, he has partnered the more mobile Ngoyo with Guehi as the two centre-backs in seven matches.

Alternatives such as Jarell Branthwaite, Chalobah and Levi Colwill lack experience in major tournaments. No adequate replacement for John Stones has emerged yet. When Stones plays, England's defence typically sits deeper, and the 32-year-old veteran contained Haaland in a World Cup match against Norway, delivering one of the team's few quality defensive performances.

However, there's a misconception that England excel at defending in desperate situations. Though the team battled bravely with ten men against Mexico in the round of 16, in a balanced match at the Azteca Stadium, England were repeatedly threatened by crosses, and the pressure eventually led to conceding goals. Against Argentina, England sat deep, and the opposition attacked repeatedly down the flanks, which led to Messi's cross and Lautaro Martínez's winning header. Under Southgate, England conceded from crosses and set pieces in crucial knockout matches against Croatia, Italy and Spain.

Maguire, with his strong aerial ability, featured in some of these matches. Now Tuchel no longer calls him up, pursuing a more proactive style rather than purely passive defending.

However, England's lack of midfield control creates defensive vulnerabilities across multiple scenarios: Uruguay secured a draw with a long-range cross, Japan penetrated the midfield for a counter-attack goal, Mexico scored from a set-piece opportunity, Croatia and DR Congo caused problems with lateral switches, and last Saturday Spain carved through the midfield for their winning goal. It's easy to spot defenders out of position, but one cannot ignore that when Declan Rice is unavailable, England's midfield becomes a completely different unit.

Without Rice's interceptions, positional discipline and covering ability, England's system struggles to function. Against Spain, there was a moment when Ngoyo left his defensive position to close down Unai Simón, and an interception error allowed Ferran Torres to cut through a massive gap in the defence. The danger was eventually averted by James Trafford's intervention, but the risk was extremely high. England attempted man-marking, but the centre-backs were repeatedly out of position, with Jarell Quansah positioned 10 metres deeper than O'Riley on the other side.

Some of these problems stem from inexperience. O'Riley and Quansah are both better suited to centre-back and are still young. Individual player characteristics are also a factor. Southgate had a trump card in his peak—Kyle Walker, whose incredible recovery pace on the right flank allowed England to attack boldly. Reece James is Tuchel's first choice, but he doesn't have Walker's durability. James suffered another injury and missed this training camp; he frequently plays in midfield for Chelsea, and the club believes the captain's fitness doesn't meet the demands of a modern full-back.

Tuchel is forced to rotate the defensive line frequently, and the situation is far from ideal. Southgate knew his most reliable defensive combination: Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw. But Tuchel has failed to establish a stable back four.

Newcastle's right-back Tino Livramento withdrew from training last week. Stones, Jayden Spence and Dan Burn were also unavailable. There have been significant changes to the defensive personnel. Before England flew to Prague on Monday, O'Riley and Ngoyo underwent individual recovery training. Lewis Hall, with 4 England caps, could deputise for O'Riley on the left. Alexander-Arnold is expected to feature, his first appearance for England since a brief outing against Andorra in June 2025.

Since last giving Alexander-Arnold a chance, Tuchel has considered eight right-backs. He didn't take the Real Madrid right-back to the World Cup, doubting his defensive abilities. But the counter-argument is: without Alexander-Arnold, England's defence hasn't been any more stable. What would be lost by unlocking his creative attacking potential?

Traduzido por IA.

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