Thomas Tuchel has warned England could be sent crashing out of the World Cup by a refereeing mistake, as the England manager launched a blistering attack on the standard of officials after his side's narrow 3-2 win over Mexico.
Tuchel was furious with referee Alireza Faghani and the VAR team after Jarell Quansah was sent off and Harry Kane conceded a penalty. “It's not good enough,” Tuchel said. “They can send any team out in any moment. It's just not good enough. It's just erratic, it's just unreliable in matches.” He added: “You're just out there, it's like almost on the open sea, in front of the court, you don't know what's going to happen. They're just not on the level.”
“Tuchel warns referees could end England's World Cup hopes as Reece James returns to face Norway.”
But there is a ray of hope for England's embattled defence. Reece James is expected to be available for Saturday's quarter-final against Norway (22:00 BST) in Miami, according to Tuchel. The 26-year-old Chelsea captain has missed the last three games – against Panama, DR Congo and Mexico – after suffering a hamstring injury in the second group match against Ghana, but he is expected to return to full training this week.
His return would be a welcome boost given the mounting right-back crisis. Quansah's red card on Sunday means the Bayer Leverkusen defender is suspended for the quarter-final. In his absence, Ezri Konsa – who has started all of England's games at centre-back – finished as a right wing-back against Mexico. Over five matches, James, Djed Spence, Konsa, John Stones, Quansah and midfielder Declan Rice have all appeared as right-sided defenders, while Tino Livramento suffered a calf injury in the build-up to the tournament.
Konsa and Spence remain options for Tuchel, but James is recognised as England's first-choice right-back. His potential availability will be crucial as England prepare to face Norway and their star striker Erling Haaland, who John Stones has already fired a warning to. The match will be played at Miami Stadium, with England hoping to avoid any more contentious refereeing decisions – or as Tuchel put it, “a bad decision could dump them out.”