2026 FIFA WC: Declan Rice is one of the very best midfielders in the world, says England's Tuchel ahead of Ghana clash
Foxborough, June 23
England head coach Thomas Tuchel has hailed Declan Rice as "one of the very best midfielders in the world" ahead of their crucial Group stage clash against Ghana on Wednesday.
England produced one of their most complete performances under Tuchel in Dallas and registered an impressive 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match, with Rice's tireless work-rate and intelligent distribution helping the side dominate large spells of the contest and providing the foundation for the team's attacking players to thrive.
"Declan is one of the very best midfielders in the world," Tuchel said in the pre-match press conference.
England's opening victory over Croatia was widely regarded as their most fluent display since Tuchel took charge in March 2025. The Three Lions stepped up a gear after halftime, with the German coach encouraging his players to attack with greater freedom.
"I'm very happy and a very lucky coach because they arrived at the World Cup with this mindset. I didn't have to get them into that mindset. Now the difficulty is to keep them in that way," Tuchel said.
"A very famous conductor once said he doesn't want to disturb the music, and he doesn't want to disturb the musicians. That's basically what we try to do in the coaching team. Just encourage them to play with freedom, especially in the attacking positions," he added.
Rice echoed his manager's sentiments and described England's second-half display against Croatia as a benchmark for the team going forward.
"That second-half performance was probably one of the best 45 minutes of football we've played under Thomas. We believe that if we can do that from the opening minute, we can beat any opponent in the World Cup," Rice said.
The midfielder also praised captain Harry Kane, calling himself fortunate to play alongside one of the world's leading strikers.
Looking ahead to the challenge of maintaining momentum at the World Cup, Tuchel expressed confidence that his squad possesses the experience and mentality to cope with expectations.
"I feel that we have so many winners and so many players who are experienced to cope with that," he said.
"One of our key principles is to behave, train, and play in a manner that it's always 0-0. No matter what, it's always 0-0. The next pass counts, the next action counts, and the next tackle is important. Mistakes are part of this beautiful game. It's about how you react to them and how you help each other."
England will face Ghana, seeking a second successive win that will confirm their berth in the round of 32.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As an Indian football fan, I have to say Rice's work rate is phenomenal. The way he breaks up play and initiates attacks reminds me of how our own midfielders should learn to transition. Tuchel's "0-0" mentality is brilliant—it's all about the next action. Ghana match will be interesting! 🇮🇳⚽
England always gets hyped in group stages. Let's see how they handle pressure against Ghana. Rice is good, but I'll wait till the round of 32 before calling him world class. India should look at his defensive positioning—our midfielders could learn a lot from him.
That conductor analogy by Tuchel is genius! 🎵 It's like how our cricket team operates under Dravid—just let the players play. Rice's 45-minute spell against Croatia was top-notch. Hoping Ghana gives them a real fight though; that's when we'll see Rice's true quality.
Tuchel is too defensive-minded for my liking. England should be more attacking. Rice is great at what he does, but he's not creative enough. We need a proper number 10. Bellingham and Foden can't do everything themselves. Ghana will be a test, but I'm not convinced yet.
Bhai, Rice is definitely world class! His distribution and reading of the game are exceptional. And that stat about him covering the most ground in the Croatia match? Pure dedication. Tuchel has finally got England playing with freedom. Fingers crossed for the Ghana match! 🤞