Carra: Tuchel’s created right-back problem with ‘bizarre decision’

Jamie Carragher believes England boss Thomas Tuchel is to blame for his side’s right-back issue at the World Cup.

The former England defender has criticised Tuchel’s “bizarre decision” to call up Trevoh Chalobah for the injured Tino Livramento.

With Reece James and Jarell Quansah huge injury doubts for Monday’s last-16 game against Mexico, Tuchel has a selection headache at right-back after Djed Spence failed to impress in the last-32 win over DR Congo as Declan Rice ended the game in that position.

But Carragher thinks Rice should stay in his natural midfield position and has suggested moving Ezri Konsa to right-back with John Stones partnering Marc Guehi in central defence.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Carragher said: “I wouldn’t start Declan Rice at right-back. I think England have got a slim chance of going all the way in the World Cup, but I don’t think playing Rice at right-back from now to the end of the tournament would be the solution.

“I think you’d leave yourself so empty in midfield. I thought Elliot Anderson, in the one game Declan Rice wasn’t in there, found it tough dealing with the opposition’s counter-attacks – and that was against moderate opposition as well. So, for me, Declan Rice would be in midfield.

“Thomas Tuchel’s got a decision to make. I think a lot of the criticism Djed Spence has had on the back of the last game is a little bit over the top.

“He didn’t have his best game, but I don’t think anyone’s come out of this tournament so far besides Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane with flying colours, to be totally honest.

“I think a lot of the problems that arose in the last game were not so much of the back four; it was how easy it was to get at the back four.

“We know we haven’t got an abundance of world-class players defensively; that’s probably the weak area of our team, but there was a lot wrong with England in that first 20 minutes, half an hour, as to how easy it was to get at the back four.

“Lots of work on for England; it’s not just about the right-back position, but I wouldn’t be putting Declan Rice there at all.

“I think the other option is maybe putting Konsa there and putting John Stones in at centre-back. He brings that bit more experience, and he’s a top-level performer – it’s just that he hasn’t had enough football, and we saw that in the first game.

“But this all just goes back to Thomas Tuchel’s decisions around the right-back area. It’s just not been right from day one in the squad that he picked – and that’s not being clever after the event.

“He picked two very injury-prone players at right-back. He brought another right-back in Djed Spence, who can cover at left-back.

“But I think to bring Chalobah in when there were injuries in that position, it was a bizarre decision really because he’s not a right-back, so you’re going to leave yourself short.”

‘Wingers look better when they don’t play’

Another selection dilemma facing Tuchel at the Azteca is who to start on the wings.

Anthony Gordon came off the bench to provide both assists for Harry Kane’s goals in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over DR Congo.

Marcus Rashford and Noni Madueke started before being replaced by Gordon and Bukayo Saka in the second half as the substitutes inspired an England comeback.

Carragher said of the winger issue: “You’ve got to think about how Thomas Tuchel plays. It’s really evident now what he likes, how he sets his team up.

“He likes real out-and-out wingers who hug that touchline. It’s not really about getting players between the lines and in the pockets; otherwise you’d probably have seen a Phil Foden or a Cole Palmer in the squad.

“So he wants real wingers who look to go on the outside with pace and have connections with the No 10s and the full-backs, so I don’t see how he would put Morgan Rogers in that wide position.

“But the problem he’s got with the four wide players he’s used so far is they all look better when they don’t play.

“So whenever one of them is on the bench, it’s the best game they have, because the guy on the pitch is not delivering, so you think, ‘Okay, let’s put him in again’, and I think this will continue between now and whenever the tournament ends for England.

“I think we’ll be changing the wide players after an hour and questioning who should play. None of them have done enough really, so far.

“In terms of top international class, probably the one is Bukayo Saka, but he just doesn’t look right. He doesn’t look fully fit really because we know when we watch him week in, week out for Arsenal over the last four or five years that he’s a fantastic player.”

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com