[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-reece-james-injury-crisis-england-norway-quarterfinal":82,"category-counts-nav":94,"related-reece-james-injury-crisis-england-norway-quarterfinal":104},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":85,"badge":55,"author":86,"excerpt":87,"date":88,"readTime":89,"image":90,"imageAlt":83,"tags":91,"body":92,"_path":93},"England's Right-Back Crisis Deepens as Reece James Faces Race Against Time","reece-james-injury-crisis-england-norway-quarterfinal","football","Marcus Wright","With James sidelined again, Tuchel scrambles to plug a problem position before England's quarter-final showdown with Norway.","2026-07-08 20:04:58","5 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Freece-james-injury-crisis-england-norway-quarterfinal.webp",[9,37],"Reece James missed another training session on Wednesday, pushing his availability for England's World Cup quarter-final against Norway into serious doubt. The right-back has not featured group training since suffering a hamstring injury in the goalless draw with Ghana in Boston. With the quarter-final looming in Miami on Saturday, Thomas Tuchel is staring down a selection crisis at a position that has haunted England for years.\n\nJames was always going to miss the final group game. That was the initial prognosis when he pulled up against Ghana, signaling to the bench before trudging off the pitch at the stadium. He then missed the Round of 16 knockout tie. He was expected back in training by now.\n\nBut the Chelsea defender remained apart from the main group again on Wednesday. The recurring nature of soft-tissue injuries means Tuchel cannot risk a setback that would end James's tournament entirely.\n\nEngland arrived at this tournament already sweating on their right-back options. Kyle Walker's exclusion from the squad and Trent Alexander-Arnold's late withdrawal stripped Tuchel of his first and second choices before a ball was even kicked.\n\nJames is the best remaining option. The versatile defender has shown his tactical flexibility under Tuchel before. The pair worked closely at Chelsea, winning the Champions League in 2021. But James's career is defined by his unreliable fitness record. Since his breakthrough Royal loan spell under Frank Lampard, the 25-year-old has missed at least 10 games through injury. He has torn the same hamstring before.\n\n## Rated chance created by set-piece dominance\n\nEngland have relied heavily on set-pieces to reach the last eight. The team that reached the quarter-final by grinding out results has lacked creativity in the final third. But without James overlapping on the right, they lack a second attacking threat from the back.\n\nIn James's absence against Ghana, England looked benign down the right flank. The midfield was unable to create scoring chances from open play. Until close-range changes were made later in the game, the defense struggled to maintain control.\n\nThe alternative options are limited. Jarrett Branthwaite was moved across to right-back against France in the final group game, a role that did not suit him. Tuchel has considered asking both Declan Rice and Jarrad Branthwaite to deputise in the position.\n\nIt is potentially a return to the shorthanded solutions that preceded this match. The tactical reshuffle required to fit a square peg in a round hole stripped balance from the team.\n\n##Rice and Guéhi in race against the clock\n\nBut James is not the only injury concern. Midfielder Declan Rice and center-back Marc Guéhi also trained individually on Wednesday.\n\nRice has been carrying a minor knock since the Ghana game. He also missed the group-stage win over France. The Arsenal midfielder is expected to be fit for the quarter-final. But England's most important midfielder has not trained fully with his teammates this week.\n\nGuéhi has a chance to prove his fitness after coming off injured at the weekend. But like James, his allowances are structurally and chemically limited. England's defensive line has been the spine of their World Cup campaign.\n\n##Norway army readiness responsibility\n\nThe quarter-final against Norway presents a different challenge. Norway captain Martin Ødegaard will look to exploit any weakness on England's right side.\n\nErling Haaland will test the center-back pairing regardless of Guéhi's fitness. The forward scored twice against England in the Nations League group stage last year.\n\n\"We know what Erling can do,\" Tuchel said earlier in the tournament. \"We have to control the space behind the defensive line.\"\n\nThat task becomes harder if England's back four has not trained together this week. Chemistry is essential when facing Haaland's movement.\n\n##Chelsea unlucky\n\nTuchel is likely to make a decision on James's involvement immediately before the game. The English FA medical staff will assess whether the right-back can participate in pre-match warm-ups without suffering a reaction.\n\nIf James is ruled out, Tuchel will have to turn to a makeshift solution. Ezra Iley-Bentley is the only out-and-out right-back in the squad. But the Aston Villa defender has not played a minute at this World Cup and is unlikely to be thrown into a quarter-final.\n\nEngland have been down this road before. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Southgate was without Ben Chilwell and struggled to fill his right-back spot. In 2018, it was Alexander-Arnold competing with Kieran Trippier for minutes. England's abundance of right-back talent was once a running joke. Now it is a position of genuine concern for the national team.\n\n## Duty Resolution\n\nThe England medical team will give James every chance to prove his fitness. But the clock is ticking. Training on Thursday and Friday will determine whether he is available.\n\nIf the defender is unable to train on Thursday, it is difficult to see how Tuchel can justify starting him against Norway. Match fitness is hard enough at the World Cup. Throwing a player into a quarter-final after two weeks out and zero training sessions is a recipe for disaster.\n\nThe likely scenario is that James misses out. That would leave Tuchel balancing defensive solidity with attacking intent on the right side.\n\nWhat It Means\nEngland's World Cup campaign has been built on defensive resilience. Despite scoring just three goals in four games, they have conceded only one. That pragmatic approach has carried them to within two wins of the final.\n\nBut the quarter-final against Norway will test those foundations. Haaland and Ødegaard offer the kind of attacking threat England have not faced since the group stage. Without James, and potentially without a fully fit Guéhi, the three at the back that has served England so well suddenly looks vulnerable.\n\nTuchel's most important selection this weekend may not come down to tactics. It may come down to who can run.","\u002Farticles\u002Freece-james-injury-crisis-england-norway-quarterfinal",[95,96,97,98,85,99,100,101,102,103],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","general","golf","mma","long-reads","tennis",[105,118,132],{"id":106,"stem":106,"path":107,"title":108,"category":85,"badge":109,"badgeType":110,"author":111,"authorRole":112,"authorInitials":113,"date":114,"readTime":89,"image":115,"imageAlt":108,"tags":116,"excerpt":117},"rodri-world-cup-spain-metronome-comeback-story","\u002Farticles\u002Frodri-world-cup-spain-metronome-comeback-story","Rodri's Masterclass: How Spain's Metronome Rewrote the World Cup","Feature","category","Sarah Martinez","Transfer Correspondent","SM","2026-07-21 00:31:26","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Frodri-world-cup-spain-metronome-comeback-story.webp","World Cup, Premier League, Champions League","Rodri silenced every doubt after his ACL nightmare, orchestrating Spain's World Cup triumph with terrifying, complete dominance.",{"id":119,"stem":119,"path":120,"title":121,"category":85,"badge":122,"badgeType":123,"author":124,"authorRole":125,"authorInitials":126,"date":127,"readTime":128,"image":129,"imageAlt":121,"tags":130,"excerpt":131},"fenerbahce-greenwood-tactical-fit-mourinho-transfer-analysis","\u002Farticles\u002Ffenerbahce-greenwood-tactical-fit-mourinho-transfer-analysis","Greenwood to Fenerbahce: Mourinho's Next Tactical Reconfiguration","Transfers","tag","Elena Rossi","SportPulse Contributor","ER","2026-07-08 20:03:02","9 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Ffenerbahce-greenwood-tactical-fit-mourinho-transfer-analysis.webp","Süper Lig, Ligue 1, Europa League","Mourinho targets Greenwood to rewire Fenerbahce's attacking structure with inverted winger profiles and positional asymmetry.",{"id":133,"stem":133,"path":134,"title":135,"category":85,"badge":109,"badgeType":110,"author":86,"authorRole":125,"authorInitials":136,"date":137,"readTime":138,"image":139,"imageAlt":135,"tags":140,"excerpt":141},"mexico-south-africa-repeat-world-cup-opener-history","\u002Farticles\u002Fmexico-south-africa-repeat-world-cup-opener-history","Déjà Vu at the Azteca: Mexico and South Africa Rewrite World Cup History","MW","2026-07-01 20:47:39","6 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fi.guim.co.uk\u002Fimg\u002Fmedia\u002F7afd5e61bc64bc1556eea2ff82413b60dc89f21a\u002F357_0_3150_2520\u002Fmaster\u002F3150.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2bab29aad1387653d86cf45299971ab6","World Cup, FIFA, CONCACAF, CAF","For the first time ever, a World Cup opening fixture repeats — and it's Mexico vs South Africa once again."]