Right-Back Crisis Ahead of England vs Mexico World Cup Knockout

Thomas Tuchel’s preparations for a World Cup knockout tie at one of football’s great cathedrals have been jolted by yet another problem in England’s most cursed position.

On the day of the round-of-16 showdown with Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, Djed Spence has emerged as a fresh injury doubt at right-back, according to Sky Sports. The Tottenham full-back is now unlikely to start, the latest name added to a growing list of casualties on England’s right flank.

Right-back crisis deepens

This has been a slow-burning headache that’s turned into a full-blown migraine. Tino Livramento never even made it to the tournament, forced to withdraw before a ball was kicked. Once the World Cup began, Jarrel Quansah and Reece James both picked up injuries of their own.

Now Spence, who trained with the group and was not flagged as a concern by Tuchel in his pre-match press conference, is nursing an issue that could force a reshuffle on the biggest stage of England’s campaign so far.

The likely consequence? Declan Rice shunted to right-back, or a fast-tracked return for the fit-again Quansah in an unfamiliar role. Neither is ideal when the man waiting on that flank is Julian Quinones, Mexico’s three-goal left winger and one of the co-hosts’ key weapons.

Quinones has been central to El Tri’s perfect start: four wins from four, no goals conceded. At altitude, in front of a fevered home crowd, he represents the sort of threat you want a specialist full-back dealing with, not a makeshift solution.

Tuchel’s selection puzzle

Tuchel had sounded relaxed when he spoke on the eve of the tie. No hint of a Spence problem, no sign of late drama.

“Reece is maybe on the bench tomorrow, let’s see,” he told talkSPORT, before adding: “But everyone else is fully available.”

He doubled down on that confidence, saying: “Jarell trained and is fully available. Reece can maybe make it on the bench, but we need a last assessment from the doctors and a medical opinion.”

The picture now looks more complicated. If Rice is dragged out to right-back, the dominoes fall in midfield. That could open the door for Jordan Henderson’s experience or Kobbie Mainoo’s energy to partner Elliot Anderson in the centre. The alternative is to keep Rice alongside Anderson, restoring Quansah to the starting XI and asking him to lock down the right.

Everywhere else, the team largely picks itself. Jordan Pickford will wear the No.1 shirt in goal. Nico O’Reilly, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Anderson, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are all set to start in a spine Tuchel has trusted throughout the tournament.

The intrigue lies on the flanks. On the left, Anthony Gordon is pushing to dislodge Marcus Rashford. On the right, Noni Madueke faces serious competition from Bukayo Saka, whose ability to track back could carry extra weight given England’s problems behind him.

Iconic stage, ruthless opponent

Tuchel has been around long enough to know when a match carries a different kind of charge. From the moment England touched down in Mexico City, he felt it.

“It's even nicer than I expected. It just catches you straight away,” he said. “Once we landed here and saw the excitement and emotions. The commitment of people for the World Cup.

“I felt straight away that this will be a proper World Cup match tomorrow. We knew it before. We are in an iconic place, an iconic stadium. A massive knockout game against Mexico in the Azteca Stadium. It's an iconic match and a big stage and we feel it.

“We know about the situation. We spoke about it. We will take care of what needs to be taken care of and we need a strong performance and I think we will have one.”

Mexico could not be arriving in better shape. Four games, four wins, no goals conceded. El Tri have turned the Azteca into a fortress over decades, losing just two competitive matches there since it opened in 1966. The numbers are stark, the message even clearer: this is their house.

Tuchel is under no illusions.

“We know everything about the Mexican team. They are now in the top 10 in the world rankings,” he said. “They have [had] some good results in the last matches. Not only now in the World Cup but especially since March where they played Belgium, Portugal. Top-tier nations.

“I think we are prepared. We saw the strengths. We [will] try to exploit weaknesses like always, but we are full of respect, but we also believe in us. We need to play the best version offensively and defensively that we showed until now in moments of every match. Tomorrow we will bring it together for a top performance that we need to achieve our goal to beat Mexico.”

The prize for surviving the Azteca? A quarter-final in Atlanta next Saturday against either five-time world champions Brazil or Norway.

First, though, England must solve a right-back crisis in the most hostile of arenas and find a way past a Mexico side that does not concede, does not blink and almost never loses at home.