England face Croatia amid pitch fears and injury blow as Livramento ruled out

Thomas Tuchel’s England are hours from their World Cup opener against Croatia in Dallas, but an injury blow and growing unease over the playing surface have cast a shadow over their preparations. Newcastle’s Tino Livramento has withdrawn from the squad after hurting his calf in training, prompting the call-up of Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah – a replacement that will not be possible once the tournament kicks off. The disruption leaves Tuchel with decisions in defence, where pundits are split. Joe Hart said he would start Marc Guehi and John Stones, while Alan Shearer opted for Guehi and Ezri Konsa, calling Konsa “really reliable”. Paul Robinson, meanwhile, said he “fully expects” Stones to play but would personally go with Konsa and Guehi. At left-back, Hart picked Nico O’Reilly over Djed Spence, who started the friendly against New Zealand. Further forward, Jude Bellingham – who will wear the number 10 shirt at the World Cup – is backed to start ahead of Morgan Rogers. “He is a big game player,” Hart said. “I think there is two genuine stars in him and Harry Kane.” The pitch in New Jersey, where England will face Panama in their final group game, has drawn sharp criticism. France midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who played on the temporary grass surface at the New York New Jersey Stadium against Senegal, said: “It felt more like an artificial surface – quite hard and quite rigid.” His coach Didier Deschamps called it a “special surface” and added: “I think there might be some cement below the grass.” Brazil’s Vinicius Junior, who played on the same pitch against Morocco, noted how the heat dries it out: “The game becomes very sluggish, and we can’t get into our rhythm.” Bellingham and Reece James had previously complained about pitches at last summer’s Club World Cup, with Bellingham saying: “The pitches aren’t great at all. It holds up the ball, the ball barely bounces.” Whether England’s star-studded lineup can adapt to the surface in their quest to avenge past defeats to Croatia remains the pressing question.