England's right-back crisis: Reece James, Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa - who starts in World Cup quarter-final against Norway?

England’s antiaircraft defiance successful Mexico City was magnificent. But adjacent comes the world check: Norway successful Miami with a patched-up back-line.

England's players person had 2 days disconnected to power off, and retrieve some physically and mentally from each that Mexico City took retired of them. Thomas Tuchel told them to disregard shot completely, unbend with their friends and household and decompress fully.

The players person done precisely that - sunbathing, popping to the section java shop, and enjoying the beauteous water and parkland that is instantly extracurricular their hotel. We bumped into Tuchel doing that connected a bike, and besides the precocious antiaircraft leader from the Azteca Stadium, Dan Burn.

• England trying to fast-track Reece James' betterment up of Norway
• Gary Neville: England are favourites but should beryllium wary of Erling Haaland and Norway
• England's way to the World Cup final

But present is the clip to parkland the bikes and absorption the minds. The attraction shifts precise rapidly distant from betterment and relaxation and it turns alternatively to the impending conflict with Norway - and Erling Haaland - connected Saturday.

The conflict is astir keenly felt successful the right-back presumption wherever it feels similar England are backmost to quadrate one.

Even earlier an English subordinate had kicked a shot astatine this World Cup, determination has been a situation connected the close broadside of defence. Tuchel has glossed implicit it, tried to support morale and his ain mistakes successful selection.

In Tino Livramento and Reece James - his lone 2 specializer right-back picks - determination were 2 players with unspeakable fittingness records. Calling up a centre-back - Trevoh Chalobah - to regenerate Livramento seems ill-judged.

But determination is mitigation aplenty too. To spot 1 right-back injured successful a tourney is unfortunate. To suffer 3 to wounded and 1 to suspension is cataclysmic.

So here's the authorities of play. James, England's archetypal choice, has not trained for a fortnight aft straining his hamstring, but helium is - dilatory - connected the mend.

It is imaginable helium could play immoderate portion successful the quarter-final against Norway connected Saturday, but astir surely not for 90 minutes and playing him risks his recovery, and imaginable relapse. You consciousness that 1 much tweak, and his World Cup is over.

Djed Spence is nursing a insignificant wounded too, and missed immoderate grooming successful the physique up to the past 16 tie. He looked acold from comfy erstwhile helium came connected precocious successful the crippled successful Mexico City. How his betterment goes implicit the adjacent fewer days is captious to his chances of being disposable from the commencement connected Saturday.

Jarrel Quansah is suspended and unavailable. Full stop. England person inactive not made a determination connected whether to entreaty against his reddish paper against Mexico, but adjacent if they bash astatine this precocious stage, it is precise improbable FIFA's disciplinary committee would overturn it.

And truthful England are down to the bare bones.

Tuchel cannot marque a determination now, until helium knows much astir the authorities of James and Spence. But if neither is acceptable to start, the right-back relation volition astir surely autumn to Ezri Konsa, who ended the crippled determination successful a backmost 5 against Mexico.

The Aston Villa antheral is perfectly adept successful that position, but to enactment him determination against Norway would mean different implicit re-jig successful defence, with John Stones coming into centre-back.

Again, helium did that to large effect precocious connected successful the Azteca Stadium, but helium is inactive feeling his mode backmost into apical level contention aft truthful small shot for truthful long. Remember, helium started England's World Cup opener against Croatia, but struggled, and was dropped for the 2nd crippled against Ghana.

England's stubborn, relentless defence was thing shy of magnificent successful the 2nd fractional adversity of Mexico City and the statistic were by acold the astir awesome of the 5 games England person played astatine this World Cup.

They played 47 minutes with 10 men, and yet they conceded 0.01 non-penalty xG connected people successful that time. That is off-the-scale good.

But Raul Jiminez is nary Haaland. England's defence volition beryllium tested much afloat against Norway than astatine immoderate different signifier successful the tourney truthful acold - and it is unspeakable timing that England's defence is much stretched present than ever before.