England earned a 2-0 win over Panama.
England have been quite scrappy in the ongoing World Cup, but they still managed to finish at the top of the table, which they secured with a 2-0 win over Panama in New Jersey last night. It was a set-piece opener from Jude Bellingham, followed by a header to closely marked Harry Kane to take all points and seal their spot at the top of the table.
This win means the Three Lions will face DR Congo in the Round of 32 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta this week.
England continues to have right-back problems
But while that win was straightforward for England, Thomas Tuchel is thin on the right-back options after Jarell Quansah became the latest player to suffer injury in the position. The Bayer Leverkusen defender was starting for RB as he took the place of the injured Reece James in the 2-0, but he limped off in the second half before heading straight down the tunnel for treatment.
Chelsea skipper Reece James will be a big doubt going into the Round of 32 game, given the hamstring injury that he suffered. And with Tino Livramento being forced to leave the squad with a calf problem, Tuchel is quite short on options at right-back.
When Livramento had to pull out of the World Cup, Tuchel ended up calling Chelsea academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah instead of a direct right-back replacement like Trent Alexander-Arnold in what was quite a controversial decision. And the former Bayern Munich head coach did admit that he was uncertain on if Quansah would be available in the fixture against DR Congo given it was only four days away. In his reflections after the game, Tuchel said (via. Fabrizio Romano):
He has suffered a classic ankle twist. He’s had it before. It will be a very tight race for the next game”.
This leaves England with two realistic options to play at right back: Djed Spence and Ezri Konsa. The latter of the two has started all three of the Three Lions’ games at the heart of defence, leaving Spence as the most likely starter.
All eyes on Djed Spence
And for Spence, he will now get a high-profile platform with all eyes on him. And it is no secret that English players who will play exceptionally well during knockout rounds of the World Cup do tend to have their stock increase quite dramatically and quite rapidly (sometimes even in the course of just one match that lasts ninety minutes).
If Spence plays and plays good, Tottenham can think about cashing in on him for a premium fee.
