Jamie Carragher says he was far from shocked when Thomas Tuchel turned to Trevor Chalobah — rather than Trent Alexander-Arnold — as the emergency replacement for Tino Livramento, who suffered a calf injury in training on the eve of England's opening FIFA World Cup 2026 match against Croatia.

Chelsea defender Chalobah was drafted into the squad despite not being a direct positional swap for the injured Livramento. Alexander-Arnold, who had already been left out of Tuchel's initial selection, was again overlooked — a decision Carragher says reflects a clear pattern in the England manager's thinking.

Tuchel's defensive priorities

"We know Thomas Tuchel's stance regarding Trent," Carragher told Sky Sports. "When you look at some of the players in the squad, it looks as though he's picking centre-backs who can do a job at right-back rather than out-and-out right-backs."

Carragher argued that Tuchel is choosing to focus on the Real Madrid star's perceived defensive shortcomings rather than his exceptional attacking qualities — qualities that convinced Real Madrid to sign him and left Liverpool supporters devastated when he departed.

"The way he wants to set his team up, maybe the strengths don't get amplified as much in a Tuchel team as they do in a Jurgen Klopp team," Carragher added. "I said a few weeks ago that he's picking team harmony, togetherness, and spirit over quality and talent. I think this is another decision that proves that."

Maguire's public comments may have cost him

Harry Maguire was also bypassed despite his experience, and Carragher suggested his outspoken reaction to the initial snub may have worked against him. Maguire was the first player to publicly confirm he had been omitted, announcing his surprise on social media before later detailing his FaceTime conversation with Tuchel on The Rest of Football podcast.

"I thought I did enough to be in the squad," Maguire said. "He [Tuchel] really said that he can't really give me an excuse."

Carragher, who knows first-hand what it feels like to receive a late World Cup call-up — having come out of international retirement for the 2010 tournament after Rio Ferdinand and Ledley King were injured — believes Chalobah's versatility gave him the edge over the Manchester United defender.

"A right-back has gone out so I don't think he was going to pick an out-and-out centre-back," Carragher said. "I'm not saying Chalobah is a right-back, but in an emergency could he do a job there more than a typical centre-half like Maguire? I'd say probably, yes."

"Maybe his comments — or his family's comments — may have been on the coaching staff's mind. It was probably better to keep that to yourself," he added.

Carragher's England XI for Croatia

Looking ahead to the Croatia opener, Carragher named his preferred starting XI and opted for Jude Bellingham ahead of Morgan Rogers in the number 10 role behind Harry Kane.

"I don't think there are many people in the country who would say Morgan Rogers is a better player than Jude Bellingham," he said. "Rogers has been fantastic for Aston Villa, but Bellingham is a superstar. If Bellingham is there and fit, he plays in the number 10 position."

On the wings, Carragher selected Anthony Gordon over Marcus Rashford — noting that Gordon's recent form had earned him a move to Barcelona ahead of Rashford. At centre-back, he paired Ezri Konsa with Marc Guehi, leaving John Stones out of his line-up.

"Konsa and Guehi have been some of the best centre-backs in the Premier League," Carragher said. "If Stones had played 15 to 20 more games this season, I'd have him in there as first pick — but we are asking a lot of any player to perform at the highest level of international football when he hasn't played much this season."