Norway vs. England: Thomas Tuchel's six right-back options for World Cup quarter-final assessed

The England right-back spot has been a problem area throughout the 2026 World Cup.

In fact, the focus on England's right-back position started before a ball was kicked in anger after Thomas Tuchel omitted Trent Alexander-Arnold from his squad.

The England boss then opted against calling up a natural full-back when Tino Livramento was ruled out through injury on the eve of England's World Cup campaign.

The right side of the back four has continued to cause Tuchel headaches on the road to the quarter-final.

Reece James has been forced to sit out the last three games through injury and Jarell Quansah then picked up an ankle problem in the group-stage win over Panama, before he was sent off in the last-16 victory against co-hosts Mexico.

With Quansah set to serve the first match of a two-game ban, Sports Mole assesses Tuchel's six right-back options ahead of Saturday's quarter-final against Norway in Miami.

Reece James

Undoubtedly, James remains England's first-choice right-back, but the major question is whether he will be fit for the last-eight tie.

The Chelsea defender has been unavailable for selection since sustaining a hamstring injury in the goalless draw against Ghana on matchday two.

James is aiming to return in time for Saturday's fixture, but it remains unclear whether he will prove his fitness to England's medical staff.

Even if he can start, there will surely be concern about whether he would then be able to cope with the quick turnaround for a potential semi-final on Wednesday, given his injury record.

It is almost foolish to plan for the next game in knockout action, but Tuchel may be tempted to give James a few more days to recover in the hope England will still be in the tournament next week.

Djed Spence

Spence's ability to play on either side of the back four was one of the factors behind his inclusion in Tuchel's 26-man squad.

The Tottenham defender has featured in all five games at the tournament, playing as a right-back for two and a left-back in the other three.

Surprisingly for a right-footed full back, Spence appears to perform better when he operates on the left side, something he demonstrated with a strong substitute appearance against Mexico, which included a vital sliding tackle to stop Santiago Gimenez from taking a shot at goal.

While he seems to thrive at left-back, Spence is the only other natural right-back option to James, putting him in pole position to start if the Chelsea man is unable to play.

Spence's willingness to overlap and underlap can add another layer to England's attacking play, while his speed allows him to make crucial recovery runs if he is ever caught out of position or needs to cover for another teammate.

Ezri Konsa

Konsa is the only English centre-back who has started all five games at the tournament, playing alongside John Stones against Croatia before forming a central defensive partnership with Marc Guehi.

Out of England's five available centre-back options, Konsa has the most experience of playing as a right-back, having operated in the position over 60 times for club and country.

In fact, he finished the last-16 win over Mexico on the right side of the back five as 10-man England dug deep to see out a 3-2 victory.

However, there may be a reluctance to remove a consistent figure from the centre of the back four, especially as there are doubts about Guehi's fitness.

John Stones

After starting the opening game against Croatia, Stones has since had to settle for a couple of subsitute appearances.

The free agent was brought on to negotiate the final half an hour against Mexico, making five defensive contributions as he utilised all of his major tournament experience.

Stones played as a centre-back at the Estadio Azteca, and will surely be the first in line to replace Guehi if the Manchester City man is unable to prove his fitness in time for the meeting with Stale Solbakken's charges.

That said, if Guehi is fit, Stones could be an option to play as a makeshift right-back, a position he has covered 65 times in his career, according to Transfermarkt.

Stones certainly has the defensive nous to negate the attacking threat of Norway's left winger, whether it be Antonio Nusa or Andreas Schjelderup.

Trevoh Chalobah

There were eyebrows raised when Chalobah was named as Livramento's injury replacement, and not just because he has only made one international appearance.

The main criticism aimed at Tuchel's decision was that it left England with just three natural full-backs for the duration of a potentially long tournament.

Unsurprisingly, Chalobah has not featured in any of England's five World Cup games, so it would be a shock to see him play a role in such a high-stakes contest.

That said, he has played as a right-back 25 times in his career, and could be an option in the position if Tuchel feels the need to introduce fresh legs in the position if England are in a scenario where they need to see out the game.

Declan Rice

Like James and Guehi, Rice's physical condition has also been a concern over the last few days.

Rice has been managing a neural issue in his hamstring and lower back throughout the competition and has just recovered from a sickness bug that has hampered his preparation for the quarter-final tie.

The Arsenal star should be ready to start at Miami Stadium, with the expectation that he will feature in midfield alongside Elliot Anderson.

However, he is a potential candidate to play at right-back after impressing in that role in the latter stages of England's turnaround win against DR Congo in the Round of 32.

The position creates opportunities and angles for Rice to make full use of his passing ability by swinging dangerous deliveries into the box.

Any change in position would most likely force Tuchel to drop Jude Bellingham into a deeper role or hand Kobbie Mainoo his first appearance of the tournament, with Jordan Henderson set to miss the rest of the World Cup through injury.

The England boss will want to avoid moving Rice and Bellingham from the positions where they are most effective, so it would be a major surprise to see the Arsenal man deployed in defence.