England manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa suffered from hamstring cramps during the team's extra-time victory over Norway on Saturday night. Konsa, who started at right-back, was substituted in the 89th minute, replaced by Villa teammate Morgan Rogers, with Reece James moving to full-back to cover his absence.
Tuchel Explains Substitution Decision
Speaking after the match, Tuchel detailed the reasoning behind the change: "We made life for ourselves complicated, we had some players struggling with the heat. Ezri Konsa was one of them, cramps in his hamstring and with Declan, we made the decision to go more offensive at half-time." The manager added that the tactical shift was intentional: "It was a bit of an offensive shift. I made the decision at 1-0 down and didn't want to go back on the decision. Even after the equaliser I thought this was the right signal to the team, to take up higher positions and more connections when Norway defends in a deep block."
Declan Rice Also Struggling
Tuchel also revealed that Declan Rice had been unwell in the days leading up to the match. "Knowing that Declan struggles after the last three days, he was most of the time in bed, I knew he could not survive the 90 minutes. I also knew there was the possibility of 120 so I didn't want to waste another change so I made the decision to take Declan out to avoid another change further on," he said.
England's World Cup Preparations
England are now set to reduce their training schedule as they prepare for the final week of the World Cup, having flown back to Kansas City. They face Argentina in the semi-finals after Lionel Scaloni's side defeated Switzerland in the quarter-finals. Konsa's injury concern comes amid a challenging period for Aston Villa, with Amadou Onana ruled out for the majority of next season due to an ACL injury. Additionally, Youri Tielemans missed Belgium's quarter-final defeat against Spain with a reported hamstring issue.
