Declan Rice has been appointed as the vice-captain of the England national team by Thomas Tuchel, who downplayed the importance of Jude Bellingham donning the captain’s armband during the second half of the recent 1-0 win over New Zealand.
While Bellingham took over leadership duties after entering the match as a substitute in the World Cup warm-up game held in Tampa, Tuchel clarified that this decision was merely based on the fact that Bellingham had the highest number of international caps among the players present.
The head coach emphasized that the circumstances would have been different had Rice, a crucial member of England’s leadership core, been included in the matchday squad at the Raymond James Stadium. Rice had previously captained the team when Harry Kane was unavailable during the match against Wales last October.
“I would consider Declan to be my vice-captain,” Tuchel stated when asked about the role’s appointment. “I was contemplating if it should be an official title or not. We had this discussion when Harry was not available. Was that during the Wales match? Harry missed that game, right? We started with Ollie [Watkins], and Declan was captain that day. That’s when I informed him.”
England’s training camp in Florida aims to help players acclimate to the local heat, and the match against New Zealand served primarily as a practice session. Tuchel rotated different lineups during the two halves, with Kane exiting after netting the decisive goal just before halftime. Bellingham’s introduction at halftime seemed notable, but Tuchel urged the press not to overanalyze the situation regarding the 22-year-old receiving the armband in Kane’s absence, stating, “He had just the most caps. You can verify that.”
As England prepares to face Costa Rica in their final warm-up before the World Cup opener against Croatia in Group L on June 17, Tuchel revealed that he intends to adopt a different strategy for player selection. He mentioned that some players would likely play for over an hour against Costa Rica, but he remains uncertain whether he will deploy his ideal starting XI for the tournament.
A key question remains whether Tuchel envisions Bellingham starting as the No. 10 in his optimal lineup. Morgan Rogers has made a strong case for himself after a solid performance during England’s qualifying campaign, having played the first half against New Zealand. Bellingham made a significant impact upon his arrival on the pitch, but Tuchel emphasized that the Real Madrid player is still competing for his spot.
“He is,” affirmed the former Chelsea manager. “He knows he is among the starters, but we have 14 to 15 players who are also in contention for starting roles. There’s a distinct group and then a leadership circle. Additionally, there are players who finish matches and energize the team, playing key roles in setting standards and accepting challenges. These roles can shift over time, but in my mind, there are 14 or 15 legitimate starters, and Jude is one of them.”
The Arsenal players joined England’s pre-tournament camp in West Palm Beach on Saturday, but Tuchel is uncertain if Rice, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, and Bukayo Saka will participate in the match against Costa Rica. “We’ll see how they return,” he commented. “We have three training days ahead, and we’ll assess their condition. We have one more match planned behind closed doors to manage player minutes. If one player logs 70 minutes against Costa Rica while another only plays 20, that might not suffice. Some will have limited minutes and will play again the following day.”
A challenging aspect of the match against New Zealand was the subpar pitch conditions. “Our primary reason for being here was to adapt to the heat, which I believe we handled fairly well,” Kane remarked. “However, the pitch was not ideal, and we had to adjust accordingly. Such issues can arise during the tournament. We prefer to play quickly and sharply, and that wasn’t always feasible on that surface; it felt a bit sticky and dry. This match was a crucial step in our preparation.”
“The hydration breaks are beneficial. Many people discuss the heat, but I don’t believe it will be as significant an issue as some suggest. A few of us felt fine during the first game. We’ve trained in similar conditions, and it hasn’t been too challenging. It’s easy to claim that it’s going to be really tough since it’s different from what we’re accustomed to. But we are all athletes, professionals who have played in warm climates before.”
