The Reece James injury is another blow to England’s full-back department, following the calf injury of Tino Livramento. In England’s World Cup squad, only Djed Spence and the aforementioned duo of James and Livramento were the only genuine full-backs that were picked by the Three Lions’ head coach Thomas Tuchel.
With players like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Tyrick Mitchell not chosen by Tuchel for England’s World Cup squad, many fans and pundits have raised concerns over the full-back selection choices.
With that being said, the versatility of the current England World Cup squad is immense, and even though some players were not chosen by Tuchel, who are quality players in the full-back position, the department is not empty.
James is set to miss at least the next two World Cup games, the last group game against Panama and the first game of the knockout stages, due to the hamstring issue.
Even though England are missing their starting right-back, can Tuchel use England’s versatility to his advantage, or will the reshuffling cause chaos in the back line?
Reece James Injury: Injury-Plagued Chelsea Full-Back Out Of Action Again
It was always going to be a gamble to take Reece James to a major international tournament, given his awful injury record, even after a relatively injury-free season last term.
The Chelsea captain made close to 40 appearances for the Blues in all competitions for the first time since the 2021/22 season.
Since that season, which was almost five years ago now, the Chelsea Academy graduate has been plagued with hamstring and knee problems, missing a total of 111 games since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
The injury that he has sustained is a recurring hamstring issue, a problem that saw him miss almost two months at the back end of the season just gone.
With that being said, England head coach Thomas Tuchel is optimistic that the Chelsea skipper will be able to return to action and play a part in the Three Lions’ chase for World Cup glory.
He said: “It’s a minor hamstring issue, he’s not been able to train the last two days,” confirmed Tuchel.
“He’s now on an accelerated rehabilitation program, and we take it game by game, but we strongly believe that he will be available [during the tournament].”
The Reece James injury is less than ideal for Thomas Tuchel’s side; however, with the potential return of the Chelsea captain in the near future, the full-back situation is salvageable ahead of the crucial matches in the Round of 16 and beyond.
Reece James Injury: The Health Flexibility Of The Defenders
Even though the Reece James injury sees the main right-back in England’s World Cup squad be sidelined for some time, the defenders that Thomas Tuchel has chosen have the flexibility of playing in various positions in the back line.
What will likely happen against Panama and in the Round of 32 game, Tuchel will likely shift Spence to right-back, which then leaves a hole that needs filling at left-back.
Players like Nico O’Reilly of Manchester City and Dan Burn of Newcastle United can easily jump into the starting XI at left-back, with O’Reilly the more likely of the two to slot into the side.
On the other hand, if Tuchel was to keep Spence at left-back, players like Jarell Quansah, Ezri Konsa, John Stones and the newly-called-up Trevoh Chalobah can slot into the right-back spot.
When asked about his full-back options, Thomas Tuchel was happy with the players that he selected and that there are enough players to fill in when someone is absent.
“Yes, I am [happy with my options at right-back]. I selected the team, so I’m very happy with everything with the characteristic of the players and strengths that they give us.
“We would love to have every single key player, we would love to have them available, it’s not available – we find solutions, it’s what we do. It’s a tournament, we move on.”
The players at Tuchel’s disposal are primarily centre-backs in terms of the right-back debate, but O’Reilly is the most likely to step into left-back, whilst Spence shifts to right-back.
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Reece James Injury: Looking To The Games Ahead
England are safely through to the knockout stages, no matter what happens in their final group game against Panama, but the Three Lions will be looking for a dominant display following a poor showing against Ghana.
Thomas Tuchel should rotate his squad to keep key players fresh ahead of the strenuous and elongated knockout stages that will start at the Round of 32 stage, instead of the usual Round of 16, due to the format change.
England must win, or at the very least, match the result of Ghana to finish top of the group and face one of the eight best third-placed teams.
At this moment in time, England will face Senegal in the Round of 32, but that could easily change with the last group games set to be played.
The Reece James injury is less than ideal, but with the Three Lions safely through to the knockouts, the important thing is for the Chelsea skipper to recover correctly to return and help his side in the latter stages.
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