James goes down, Livramento withdraws, Quansah fills in at right back — Tuchel says no fear.

Tuchel said something at the pre-match press conference: "No World Cup opponent can make England feel afraid." Five changes were made to the same starting lineup. James is out with a hamstring injury, and Livramento has withdrawn from the World Cup squad due to a calf injury. With only three options left at right-back, Tuchel pushed Quansah into the role.

At 23, a natural center-back playing for Bayer Leverkusen, he was only called up to the senior England squad for the first time in 2026. Leaving Liverpool, he himself called it a "really tough decision," and now he’s been thrust into a starting right-back role in a World Cup group match. Gary Neville directly said "baffled" in the ITV studio—confused, unable to comprehend it.

This isn’t a minor adjustment. At right-back for England, James is injured, Livramento is injured, leaving Quansah, Spence, and Konsa as the three options—none of whom are natural right-backs. Against Panama's 5-4-1 bus-parking formation, England precisely needs wingers who can beat opponents one-on-one and tear open gaps down the flanks. Quansah can't do that job.

The left side isn’t much better. Tuchel himself said, "The entire left wing has issues, maybe the players haven’t developed chemistry yet." The stats from the Ghana game speak for themselves: 19 shots with 3 on target, 78% possession, 619 passes with a 95% success rate, and zero goals. After the match, Tuchel joked that Ghana used "black magic." It wasn’t black magic—it was England failing to break through. Saka sat on the bench, with Tuchel describing him as "seems to be more and more ready"—but still not starting him. Gordon and Madueke started both group matches, criticized by The Guardian for playing "rigidly," like training cones.

Panama, on the other hand, has lost both matches, scored zero goals, and is already eliminated. In theory, this should be a routine game.

This Panama is a different breed from the one eight years ago. Their FIFA ranking has climbed from 55th in 2018 to 34th now. Last year, they were runners-up in the CONCACAF Nations League—beating the USA with a stoppage-time goal in the semifinals and losing 1-2 to Mexico in the final. They’ve been Gold Cup runners-up three times, in 2005, 2013, and 2023. Seven players on the squad were part of the 2018 World Cup team that lost 6-1 to England. Right-back Murillo, 30, plays for Beşiktaş and has over 90 national team caps; captain Godoy is the national team's all-time appearance leader.

Their top star, Carrasquilla, hasn’t played a single minute in this World Cup due to a groin injury and won’t feature in this match either. The BBC called him "Panama's most important player." With their star injured and the team eliminated, there’s no pressure to advance. Stung by the memory of 2018, this kind of team can play their wildest game.

The 6-1 match from 2018 has already been dug up and rehashed. Kane’s hat-trick, Stones’ header brace, Lingard’s long-range strike. That England team played a 3-5-2 formation, with Walker at right-back at his peak at 28, a Manchester City starter. Eight years later, the same position is held by a 23-year-old making his senior national team debut, with zero World Cup right-back starting experience.

New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium is expected to draw 12,000 to 15,000 England fans. Most of them, when buying plane tickets, probably had another 6-1 in mind. Tuchel said at the press conference, "I'm not scared in general," claiming they have enough confidence to compete at any level. He also added, "England are not the favorites to win the World Cup; Brazil, Argentina, and Spain are the biggest favorites."

England beating Panama isn’t hard. But how they win—whether it’s grinding out a 1-0 with 78% possession and 3 shots on target, or sneaking in a set piece from an opponent’s error—the strong team waiting for them in the first knockout round will replay the footage three times over.