Thomas Tuchel Drops Livramento, Calls Up Chalobah for England National Football Team
Tino Livramento is out of the england national football team squad after sustaining a calf injury in training before Wednesday's opening World Cup group game against Croatia in Dallas at 21:00 BST. Trevoh Chalobah has taken his place, leaving Thomas Tuchel with one more defensive adjustment on the eve of the opener.
Tuchel’s back line shifts again
The change comes after Tuchel again left Trent Alexander-Arnold out of England duty. England now have three natural full-backs in Reece James, Djed Spence and Nico O'Reilly, while O'Reilly can also play in midfield and Dan Burn can cover left-back.
That leaves the squad thin on specialist wide defenders at exactly the point Tuchel needed stability. Jarell Quansah and Ezri Konsa can also be used in wide positions, but the balance of the group has already been altered by injuries to players the coach has been tracking closely.
Chalobah gets the call
Chalobah brings one senior England cap into the squad. His only appearance came in a 3-1 defeat to Senegal at the City Ground a year ago, and this call gives him a route back into the setup just before the tournament begins.
His return also underlines how quickly the picture has changed for England’s defence. John Stones started only five Premier League games last season, Reece James started only 20 league games, and both have had injury problems, which has made the back line the least settled part of the team.
England’s defensive picture
Livramento had already missed most of the end of last season with a thigh problem and had also been absent with hamstring issues. His calf injury removes another option from a group that was already under pressure, and Tuchel’s decision to call up Chalobah shows the cover he wants in place as England prepare to face Croatia.
For England, the practical change is simple: one defender is out, another is in, and the first match in Dallas will arrive with a reshaped defensive pool. The opener against Croatia now comes with fewer natural full-backs available and more weight on the players still fit enough to handle the load.
