On Friday, Dan Burn was one of the "difficult phone calls" Thomas Tuchel said he had to make when he left players out of his England squad. By Wednesday, the 34-year-old Newcastle captain was the favorite to start in England's back four against Croatia at Wembley on Thursday, and Tuchel explained why he trusts him more than Jarrad Branthwaite, who made the original list.
Tuchel's frank answer on Branthwaite
England's preferred center-back pair is gone for this game. Marc Guéhi withdrew with the hip problem that took him off at halftime against Nottingham Forest, and Ezri Konsa is following his own program and hopes to be back for Sunday's trip to Spain. Burn replaced Guéhi, and Bournemouth's uncapped James Hill was added for Konsa.
"It's not our favourite situation because of course we would have liked Marc and Ezri, they were key players for us," Tuchel said, according to Chronicle Live. "We need a partner for Jarell, basically. And then Jarell needs to step up on his level."
Jarell Quansah is guaranteed a place. The question is who plays with him, and Tuchel's answer on Branthwaite was unusually direct. "Jarrad Branthwaite is doing very well but it's a very different style of play for him from Everton towards us," he said. "You can see that Dan Burn is straight away a big voice in training and is more used to the style with Newcastle from the last two seasons with Eddie where they followed in a high press and to man-man. And of course he was with us at the World Cup."
A doubt at fullback too
There is one more doubt in the back line. Djed Spence missed Wednesday's training session and is a doubt for Croatia, The Standard reported. That could push Tuchel into a reshuffle, with Ben White an option at right back.
Why the game still matters
England beat Croatia 7-0 away earlier in this Nations League campaign, a result Tuchel called "a freak, a one-off." England are second in the group, and the leaders, Spain, host them in Madrid on Sunday, so a win at Wembley keeps the top spot within reach.
For Burn, the turnaround is almost complete. Less than a week after being told he wasnt needed, he is set to line up at Wembley in a must-win game, picked not for his name but because Tuchel thinks he already knows how England want to defend.
