World Cup reader Q&A: Nick Ames answers your questions now - live

After 102 games we know that 2026 World Cup final will be between Spain and Argentina in New Jersey on Sunday. Our football correspondent Nick Ames has been in the US and Mexico all tournament and is now live answering your questions – post yours now

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BrightonPeer asks: Did Tuchel know how injured Saka and (especially) Rice were when he picked his squad? My sense is that he can’t have known about Rice, because if he had known surely he takes one or two spare central midfielders who weren’t just there for the vibes or, well, whatever Mainoo was there for given Tuchel clearly doesn’t trust him?

Nick says:

Afraid he did! Both players’ issues have been well known for a long time – Rice in particular goes back to the start of the year. And there’s too much information around nowadays for anything like this to fly under the radar. Managers have to choose whether to take calculated gambles or not, just as Lionel Scaloni did with a couple of his full-backs. But the situation with midfield cover is, I agree, utterly exasperating. It is where matches are won and lost. Tuchel’s squad selection had a strong emphasis on being “good tourists”, which explains the Henderson call-up, and I sympathise with that to some extent. But would he have brought Adam Wharton if he had his time again? Maybe he’ll tell us one day.

Do they have anyone who can chuck it far enough? Maybe Declan Rice. It’s a decent point but to be honest I’ve rather enjoyed a World Cup light on them. Perhaps the long throw can be England’s answer to the Spanish football identity in future!

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