The England manager explained the tactical and physical factors behind the Arsenal midfielder’s early exit against Norway.
Thomas Tuchel revealed why Declan Rice was withdrawn at half-time during England’s 2-1 World Cup quarter-final victory over Norway.
The Arsenal midfielder started the match but did not return for the second half as England changed their shape after falling behind.
Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze were brought on to push more players forward, with England looking to break down Norway’s deep defensive line.
Tuchel explained that the decision was not just about tactics. Rice’s fitness in the days leading up to the game also played a significant role.
“We made a decision in halftime to become more offensive, to have a bit of a offensive shift,” Tuchel said.
“I made the decision when we were 1 nil down and I didn’t want to go back on the decision because of the equalizer.
“I thought that this is the right signal to give the team, to have higher positions when Norway defends in a deep block, to have higher positions, more connections, be closer to the opponent’s box.”
The switch forced Tuchel into a choice: take off Rice or Elliot Anderson.
Rice had not been at his best in the build-up, with Tuchel revealing the Arsenal midfielder had spent much of the previous days in bed.
“That meant that we had to take Elliott or Declan out knowing that Declan struggles after the last three days where he was most of the time in bed,” Tuchel said.
Tuchel did not go into detail about Rice’s illness, but it was clear England never expected him to play the full 90 minutes.
The possibility of extra time also influenced the timing of the substitution.
As it turned out, England needed another 30 minutes to get past Norway, and Tuchel was keen to avoid burning a second substitution just to take Rice off later.
“There was a possibility that it goes 120. So I didn’t want to waste another change,” he added.
“So the decision was to take Declan earlier out than he needed to go out just to save us another change later down the match.”
The move gave England more attacking options and also protected a player who was never fully fit heading into the quarter-final.
Tuchel did not suggest that Rice had suffered a new injury during the match.
Attention now turns to recovery before the semi-final, with Rice’s fitness set to be closely watched in the coming days.
Tuchel has indicated the squad will ease off in training as preparations begin for the next game, with recovery now the main priority after another gruelling knockout tie.
In the end, Rice’s early withdrawal was as much about his recent illness and the threat of extra time as it was about tactics. Tuchel made the call earlier than he might have liked, but it proved to be the right one.