In just his fourth start for his country, Jarell Quansah received a red card with more than 30 minutes left in a FIFA World Cup knockout fixture.
He could have expected Thomas Tuchel to hold the mistake against him. Yet Quansah is emerging as one of the manager’s most reliable players. And the Bayer Leverkusen defender is thriving in an England squad that appears energized – rather than damaged – by the ultimate World Cup letdown.
Quansah would undoubtedly support that view, stating, via The Mirror: “I feel like we’ve put together a few performances where we’ve fully gone for games and not tried to sit back – that’s what we wanted to do in this camp. I think we’ve shown that, we’ve shown how aggressive and dominant we can be against top nations in a tough group.
- Pep Guardiola to return to Manchester City in show of solidarity amidst turmoil
- Cristiano Ronaldo delivers brutal Portugal ‘ultimatum’ after Jorge Jesus ‘broke his word’
“There’s a lot more to come, we want to keep learning, keep improving and go from there. I think it’s going all-out, I feel like we can really dominate teams. We’ve shown that. Just being relentless and ruthless.
“As soon as we score a goal, it’s not easing off, it’s going again, going again, and trying to get the next goal, and trying to put the next player under pressure, everyone’s working for each other. If someone gets outplayed, the next person’s into a tackle, that’s the way we want to be, and the way we want to go forward.”
Quansah started three of England’s first four UEFA Nations League fixtures – during which they lost to Spain before winning their next three games – earning selection over Trent Alexander-Arnold in the right-back position for the home loss to Spain and the victory in Croatia.
“I feel like I can bring a lot of power down the side and Trent is so good at picking teams off from right-back with his passing,” says Quansah. “We’re very different. Different games and different teams require different players. I’ve played with him so long, it was nice to be back out there with him – he’s an outstanding player.”
To listen to the latest episode of ‘All Out Soccer’ – CLICK HERE
Quansah partnered with his ex-Liverpool teammate during the Wembley win against the Czech Republic, after Tuchel repositioned him into central defense. It’s obvious that’s where Quansah feels most comfortable operating.
He admits: “I feel like it’s probably my favourite position to play, to be honest. I love playing there, I’ve played there since I was probably 10 or 11 years old. So it was nice to be back there. It was something different as well with England. It was nice to be able to do it at Wembley.”
England will welcome Croatia to Wembley before making the trip to Madrid for their concluding Group A3 fixture next month, though they’ve virtually secured their spot in the quarterfinals. It’s clear Tuchel and his squad are approaching the tournament with utmost seriousness.
Quansah says: “It’s the next big thing, the next competition we’re in. And it will be massively, massively important to play the same teams we’re going to play in the Euros, the coach has said it already. It’s a massive stage and a chance to bring a trophy to the country and the next step to a major competition.”
About the Author
