EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It felt fitting that much of England’s drab 2–0 win over Panama unfolded in the pouring rain, an ode of sorts to the dark cloud looming over Thomas Tuchel and his squad.A packed crowd at MetLife Stadium was utterly silent for several long stretches during Saturday’s clash, seemingly mystified that they braved the harsh weather to see an England side held silent for over an hour by a team without a win in North America this summer. Just when Jude Bellingham improved the mood in New Jersey with a goal, Jarell Quansah, Tuchel’s makeshift right back, was forced to come off the pitch with an apparent injury. Another goal from Harry Kane soon made supporters forget, but the long-term implications of the defender’s status hang over the Three Lions.Should Quansah’s injury be serious enough to keep him out of the round of 32 (and potentially beyond), Tuchel will have a crisis on his hands—one that he helped create. Compete against the world. | SPORTS ILLUSTRATEDThe Least Surprising Surprise Reece James is sidelined with another hamstring injury. | Sebastian Frej/Getty ImagesOn the eve of England’s group stage finale, Tuchel confirmed Reece James suffered a hamstring injury and would not be available on Saturday. The right back is expected to miss at least two weeks of action, ruling him out of the team’s early knockout clashes. “No one could see that coming,” Tuchel said. Except everyone could see it coming. In the last three years alone, James was sidelined with a hamstring injury on six different occasions. He went under the knife at the end of 2023, but the lingering issues kept coming back. And that’s not even mentioning the other fitness struggles he dealt with—struggles that Tuchel had a front row seat to during his time in charge of Chelsea. In fact, when the manager arrived at Stamford Bridge in January 2021, James was just returning from a spell on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury. The Englishman then missed significant time at the end of the 2020–21 season with a similar problem, as well as a muscular injury. Five years have passed, but not much has changed. James was out for nearly two months at the end of the 2025–26 campaign with a hamstring injury, and came into the 2026 World Cup having not played back-to-back matches since March. What happened the second he did? Another hamstring injury. To the surprise of virtually no one, England already needed a back-up right back after just two matches at this summer’s tournament. And its best option—one of the best right backs in the world—is sitting at home.Tuchel’s Bullish Decisions Leave England Paying the Price Thomas Tuchel had two chances to bring Trent Alexander-Arnold along and he overlooked him both times. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty ImagesTuchel turned heads when he did not call up Trent Alexander-Arnold for the March international break. The decision was perplexing, but not wildly unexpected considering the 27-year-old had only just returned from a lengthy layoff the month prior. The real alarm bells sounded when Tuchel left Alexander-Arnold out of his 26-player World Cup roster. The decision came after the fullback put together a strong end to his debut season at Real Madrid, playing to his elite standards in the Champions League and La Liga now that he was fully fit. Alexander-Arnold’s return to form—or his illustrious résumé with England and Liverpool—wasn’t enough for Tuchel to bring him to North America this summer. The manager instead banked on James as his starting right back, with Tino Livramento as the back-up.Except the latter was forced to withdraw from the tournament before the Three Lions’ first game due to a calf injury. Tuchel had the perfect opportunity to right his mistake and bring Alexander-Arnold along as Livramento’s replacement, but instead, he called up center back Trevoh Chalobah. Now, with the hopes of an entire nation riding on his squad decisions this summer, Tuchel rolled out natural center back Quansah on the right flank against Panama.Quansah’s Audition Ends in DisasterJarrel Quansah was serviceable at right back on Saturday. | Jose Hernandez/Anadolu/Getty ImagesDespite his limited experience playing as a right back, Quansah did his job against Panama. The Bayer Leverkusen man only misplaced five passes and was solid defensively in his 63 minutes on the pitch. There were no glaring errors or worrying moments until he went off with an injury. But what happens when Quansah is not marking José Luis Rodríguez, who came into the match with just two goals in 2026? What happens when Quansah has to go up against Brazil’s Vinicius Junior or France’s Désiré Doué? Of course, if Quansah is in for a spell on the sidelines, Tuchel will have to deploy Djed Spence or Ezri Konsa instead, and those options hardly instill confidence against some of the best wingers in the world. Plus, the three players bring little to an attack crying out for some creativity against disciplined defenses. Quansah has three assists to his name in his entire senior career for club and country. His fellow natural center back Konsa has just two in top-flight soccer and one for England. Spence is the best forward-thinking option, but his playmaking almost always comes from the left flank, where he is at his best. It’s hard to imagine any of the players unlocking a low block in a must-win game. There’s No Excuse for Tuchel’s Alexander-Arnold Snub Trent Alexander-Arnold could have played a major role for England this summer. | Michael Regan/The FA/Getty ImagesThey say hindsight is 20/20, but there was no hindsight needed to realize what a massive mistake Tuchel made overlooking Alexander-Arnold. It was a mistake the day he announced his World Cup squad, a mistake when he snubbed him yet again for Chalobah and a mistake now that James and potentially Quansah are injured.Yes, Alexander-Arnold’s struggles in defense are well-documented. He is a liability going against some of the best wingers in the world if he does not have a center back to cover the space he leaves in behind. Those concerns are valid, and Tuchel easily could have still named James his starter even if he called up Alexander-Arnold. Yet the manager thought it was a better decision to have a two-time Premier League winner and Real Madrid superstar sitting on his couch while a host of subpar players take turns filling in for James on soccer’s grandest stage. There seemed little preparation for a potential injury crisis, and little consideration for Alexander-Arnold’s magical right foot. His set-piece delivery, his pinpoint long balls and his vision in the final third all make him an invaluable member to at the very least have available off the bench if the moment calls. Perhaps if Alexander-Arnold made an appearance against Ghana or Panama, England would have managed to score more than one goal from open play in 180 minutes of soccer. The right back is a wizard at breaking down low blocks and is a world-class playmaker that could have undoubtedly made the Three Lions more dynamic up top. But because of a shortsighted decision from Tuchel, England are now forced to make the best out of a completely avoidable situation in pursuit of a second World Cup title—a pursuit that its manager made more difficult than necessary. READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow