There are far fewer Chelsea stars in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad than many expected, although there should be concerns about Reece James’ fitness at the tournament.
The Blues captain is the only representative in the squad after both Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill were left out of the final 26 names.
Tuchel is clearly building with form in mind, although is a long-term admirer of James from their time together at Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea fans should be worried about Reece James’ fitness at the World Cup
The German has even been accused of overusing James at times during England qualifiers and friendlies, especially when taking into account his far from ideal injury record.
It is likely that the right-back starts England’s warmup fixture against New Zealand, and the majority of important games in the tournament.
However, the playing surface England are on tonight is causing some concern. Despite usually being artificial grass, a grass pitch has been laid on within the last week.
It looks far from perfect though, and looks to pose an injury concern to players on both sides, with James at the top of the list of those who are in danger.
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It was here where Ruben Loftus-Cheek suffered a serious injury that ruled him out of the final, and played a serious role in him not reaching his potential at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea do not need one of their key players to be injured just days before Xabi Alonso takes over at Stamford Bridge, and will be praying James doesn’t fall foul of this out in North America.
Injuries are already starting to take their toll on players and teams. Potential future Chelsea star Julio Enciso is a doubt for the tournament after picking up an injury in Paraguay’s warmup game.
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