England go to Prague on Tuesday night without Nico O'Reilly, three days after a defeat in which his mistake cost them a lead. Ezri Konsa, the other player who missed Monday's training session, is expected to be available. Rio Ngumoha has been called into the squad in O'Reilly's place, having not made the matchday group for Saturday's 3-2 loss to Spain at Wembley.
The left-back question opens up again
O'Reilly and Konsa both played the full ninety against Spain and both followed individual programmes rather than training with the group on Monday morning. Only O'Reilly has been ruled out. His error let Alex Baena bring Spain level at 2-2 before the world champions won it, and the absence now hands Lewis Hall a chance to make the left-back position his own, at least for one night in the Czech Republic.
Konsa has become one of Thomas Tuchel's most reliable selections, starting seven of England's eight matches at this summer's World Cup. If he is not risked, Jarrad Branthwaite is the likely alternative, having replaced Marc Guehi late on at Wembley. Ngumoha's call-up is the more interesting one for the medium term. The Liverpool winger was in the squad for Spain without making the eighteen.
Tuchel is not backing away from Saturday
The England manager spent the days after the Spain game defending the way his team played rather than the result. "I think we showed our style, and showed our courage and identity," he said. "We caused ourselves some problems with individual mistakes. It should not happen, but it happened. But I think we played our way, and we encouraged the players to play their way."
Not everyone is convinced. On Sky Sports, Tim Sherwood said England have not progressed under Tuchel, backed Frank Lampard as the next English manager of the national team, and took aim at Lewis Hall for comments about the shirt feeling heavy. That is pundit territory rather than dressing-room territory, but it is the temperature around a squad that lost at home to Spain having led 2-1, with Harry Kane missing a penalty in between.
Four games in eleven days
Tuchel has been openly unhappy with the new international window format, which keeps the squad together for three weeks and asks them to play four matches in eleven days. England face the Czech Republic home and away either side of a trip to Rijeka to play Croatia.
"I find this format now even more challenging than any other format," he said, listing the travel, the two days of rest between games, the changing pitches and the switch between club and country roles and positions. His argument is that the compression raises injury risk rather than reducing it. Whether that is borne out over the next fortnight will say more about the calendar than about his team.
Prediction: England to win in Prague, narrowly, with the defence rearranged and Ngumoha involved off the bench.
Match facts: Czech Republic v England, Uefa Nations League, Tuesday 29 September 2026, 19:45 BST in Prague. Out: Nico O'Reilly. Called up: Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool). Expected available: Ezri Konsa (Arsenal). England lost 3-2 to Spain at Wembley on Saturday 26 September, Harry Kane missing a penalty and Alex Baena equalising at 2-2. England play the Czech Republic twice in this window, either side of a trip to Croatia in Rijeka.
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