Declan Rice trudges back for the restart after Croatia's second equaliser against England. The England mainstay is flagging after six years of nonstop action, but finding a solution to his absence is no easy task.
A freak of nature is Aaron Cresswell's description of Declan Rice. The former West Ham left-back marvels at Rice's ability to keep going. "He can play six or seven games a week," Cresswell says of his old West Ham teammate. "God knows how many he's played in the last few years."
The answer is 360 since the start of the 2020-21 season. The schedule has been relentless for the England midfielder. He was vital for West Ham when they had deep European runs in 2022 and 2023, was a mainstay for Gareth Southgate's England and has been no less influential for Arsenal's Premier League and Champions League endeavours since joining them three years ago.
England 4-2 Croatia: World Cup 2026 Group L Player Ratings
The temptation is to keep going. Yet Rice looked weary when his 63rd appearance of the 2025-26 season arrived in England's chaotic 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening game of the World Cup on Wednesday. The 27-year-old was not himself. The midfield shape was wrong. There was too much space between Rice and Elliot Anderson during a worrying first half. Rice dropped too deep and was pulled out of position by Luka Modric.
Perhaps those tactical wrinkles can be ironed out by Thomas Tuchel before England face Ghana on Tuesday. However, there was concern when Rice had to be taken off with England guarding a 3-2 lead against Croatia in the 72nd minute. Given his ball-winning ability it is almost unheard of for Rice to go off in that situation, but the fear for England must be that their vice-captain is running out of steam when they need him most.
Tuchel said Rice felt discomfort in his lower back and upper hamstring. The head coach said the substitution was precautionary and Rice was quick to say he would be available against Ghana. England need to tread carefully, though.
What Happens If the Injury Worsens?
The midfield malfunctioned with Rice nowhere near 100% – "Declan had some unusual ball losses," was Tuchel's diplomatic assessment of his performance – but England will not want to play without him. They need Rice. They have rarely looked good whenever he has missed a game in the past six years and do not have a like-for-like replacement in the squad.
Kobbie Mainoo is wonderful on the ball but is young and does not have Rice's physique or set-piece deliveries. Jordan Henderson is an option but is 36 and was not called upon with England looking to maintain a high tempo against Croatia. There are no obvious answers for Tuchel.
His initial move when Rice went off was to move Jude Bellingham back but that almost led to Croatia equalising. The experiment lasted eight minutes. It was only then, perhaps, that we saw a way for England to function without Rice, with the introduction of Djed Spence for Bellingham allowing Reece James to step away from right-back and slot into a role he has performed with distinction for Chelsea during the past 18 months.
Reece James Could Be the Answer
James could be the answer in midfield if Rice's minutes have to be managed. The Chelsea captain played there during a loan at Wigan in the 2018-19 season. He has spent much of his career at right-back or right-wingback but had a positional shift during Enzo Maresca's 18 months in charge of Chelsea. James was redeployed in midfield and after some initial doubts Maresca was rewarded when Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain in last year's Club World Cup final.
Tuchel was one of the early sceptics. The German coached James at Chelsea and initially said he regarded him as a right-back in his England side. Yet Tuchel has come to understand Maresca's thinking. James is a physical presence and an intelligent footballer. He can tackle and has a good passing range. The performance against PSG was no flash in the pan. James was excellent when he partnered Moisés Caicedo in midfield when Chelsea beat Barcelona 3-0 last November and dominated Rice when Arsenal visited Stamford Bridge five days later.
"Reece James can play in the 6 because he does on a high level for Chelsea," Tuchel said when he named his World Cup squad and justified leaving out Adam Wharton and Alex Scott.
Tuchel has prized versatility in his picks. If James moves out of the back four then Spence, Ezri Konsa and Jarell Quansah are capable of slotting in at right-back. The answer could be to have Konsa operating almost as a third centre-back with John Stones and Marc Guéhi, freeing Nico O'Reilly to surge from left-back.
The big doubt with that plan, though, is around James's fitness. He has a long history of hamstring injuries – the most recent came in March, leading to an absence of almost two months – and has had to be managed carefully by Chelsea.
It is a complication for England. They have lost Tino Livramento to a calf injury, forcing Tuchel to replace the Newcastle full-back with Trevoh Chalobah. It has been a gruelling season for so many squad members. James is first choice at right-back but cannot start every game. He cannot be expected to take on all the load in midfield if Rice is struggling.
Fitness concerns nagged away at Tuchel as the World Cup approached. The decision to fly early to Florida for a pre-tournament camp in the sun was based around conditioning. Rice joined up late after playing for Arsenal in the Champions League final, though. He keeps pushing himself to the limit. Will there be a price to pay?
If England reach the final and Rice is not given a rest, he will have made 70 appearances for club and country this season. The demands feel extreme. Tuchel must have alternative plans.
