Carragher savages Tuchel's 'bizarre' Chalobah call as England's right-back crisis deepens at World Cup

Jamie Carragher has launched a sharp critique of Thomas Tuchel’s squad management, labelling the decision to call up Trevoh Chalobah amid England’s right-back injury crisis at the 2026 World Cup as ‘bizarre’ and a problem entirely of the head coach’s own making.

England have been severely stretched at right-back throughout the tournament. Tino Livramento withdrew through injury before the squad even got going, while Reece James and Jarell Quansah have also picked up problems. Djed Spence, meanwhile, has struggled to convince in the role.

“This all just goes back to Thomas Tuchel’s decisions around the right-back area,” Carragher said. “It’s just not been right from day one with the squad that’s been picked. He picked two very injury-prone players at right-back, he brought another right-back if you like, Djed Spence, but at left-back. But I think to bring Chalobah in when there were injuries in that position was a bizarre decision. He’s not a right-back, so you’re going to leave yourself short.”

One option Tuchel has explored is deploying Declan Rice at right-back — the Arsenal midfielder came on in that position late in England’s win against DR Congo — but Carragher was firm that it cannot be a sustained solution.

“No, I wouldn’t start Declan Rice at right-back,” he said. “England have got a slim chance of going all the way in the World Cup. I don’t think playing Declan Rice as the right-back from now until the end of the tournament would be the solution. You’d leave yourself so empty in midfield. I thought Elliot Anderson, in the one game when Declan Rice wasn’t in there, found it tough dealing with opposition’s counterattacks — and that was against moderate opposition.”

Carragher also pushed back against what he described as excessive criticism of Spence following England’s most recent outing, arguing the full-back was not the only player to underperform. “I don’t think anyone has come out of this tournament so far with flying colours other than Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham,” he said. “A lot of the problems that arose in the last game were not so much the back four but how easy it was to get at the back four. There was a lot wrong with England in that first 20 minutes.”

With the knockout rounds approaching, Tuchel faces mounting pressure to find a workable solution at right-back — or risk the positional weakness being exposed by stronger opposition.