Ezri Konsa: The Aston Villa defender featured in every game and continued to show he has the quality for international football. A starting centre-back and also played at right-back in the win over Norway in the quarter-finals. He ended the tournament with a goal in the third-place play-off. 7
John Stones: It was considered a gamble by Thomas Tuchel to take Stones considering his fitness issues. He started the first game, had some shaky moments and dropped out for the next couple. But he regrouped and started the quarter-final win over Norway and semi-final defeat by Argentina. The 32-year-old showed his quality but was caught under the ball for Lautaro Martinez’s winner. 7
Marc Guehi: A staple of the England backline at major tournaments. Guehi did not start the opening game against Croatia but when he came in he showed his usual calmness and quality. Guehi put in an excellent performance against Manchester City team-mate Erling Haaland in the quarter-final against Norway and performed well until England went out. 8
Trevoh Chalobah: The Chelsea defender was called up as a replacement for Tino Livramento. It was a decision that prompted a lot of debate as it was felt it left England short in the full-back areas. Chalobah was brought on in the closing stages of the win over France for his only minutes of the tournament. 5
Jarell Quansah: This was Quansah’s first major tournament and he was arguably a surprise pick in the 26-man squad. But the Bayer Leverkusen defender did show why Tuchel was so keen to have him as a full-back option. Quansah started well against Panama before getting injured, then did likewise against Mexico before he was sent off. He returned for the third-place play-off, and has a bright international future. 6
Dan Burn: The Newcastle defender’s inclusion was the subject of much debate but his performance against Mexico underlined the reasoning. Burn’s aerial prowess gave England a way to see out games, though Tuchel turned to that tactic too early when trying to see out a win against Argentina. 6.5
Nico O’Reilly: This was the 21-year-old’s first tournament and he grew into it after a nervy opening match. O’Reilly only became England’s first-choice left-back in November, and to go from that to a World Cup and start five of the eight matches is very impressive. O’Reilly is very good on the ball but could improve defensively. 6.5
Reece James: The Chelsea captain said it was “boring” when people discussed his fitness, but the first-choice right-back missed three games after sustaining a hamstring injury against Ghana. He recovered to play in the quarter-final and semi-final, and showed his quality. 6.5
Djed Spence: The Tottenham full-back was one of England’s breakout players of the tournament. Spence’s ability to play at both left-back and right-back is extremely valuable in tournament football. He is a very good one-v-one defender and his pace gives an outlet to the team. He produced two of his best performances in the quarter-final and semi-final. Spence also played well against France, winning a penalty. 8
