Starting Declan Rice is a World Cup gamble Thomas Tuchel does not need to take

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Declan Rice is one of those players who looks exhausted a couple of minutes into a match. It is one of the most deceptive looks in football. Because Rice never stops.

Box-to-box, it is hard to think of a more committed, energetic, tireless operator. Illness meant Rice was not his normal self in the quarter-final win over Norway and made way for Eberechi Eze at half-time.

But if Rice had simply hit the wall after 11 gruelling months, it would not have come as a surprise to anyone. For club and country since the middle of August, he has made 67 appearances.

And Rice, of course, does not just make appearances, he gives his all. No-one ran further for the Arsenal cause than Rice last season. In the Premier League, he played 3099 minutes and ran over 380 kilometres.

In total, for club and country since the beginning of last season, Rice has played 5,312 minutes of football. A rough calculation tells you that he has covered over 400 miles on a football pitch since the game against Manchester United at Old Trafford on August 17, 2025. Not quite The Proclaimers but not far off.

It is hard to believe 27-year-old Rice has not, at some stage later in the season, been in what is known as a ‘red zone’, a zone where fatigue can affect fitness and performance. Of course, he will not have been alone at this World Cup.

In fact, Elliot Anderson covered more Premier League ground than Rice last season, albeit over a longer period of time (Anderson covered 411 km over 3,334 minutes). But Rice is also a player who expends a lot of emotional energy as well as physical energy.

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But Tuchel has to make a cold-hearted decision. The medics will know if Rice’s recovery from the bug is complete. Anything less than full recovery means he should not start.

Rice was nowhere close to his normal self against Norway and England were better after he was substituted. Tuchel has options and will surely not be afraid to use them. It will be great for England if Rice is fully fit, in prime health and ready to go.

But considering how poorly he performed in that first half against Norway, that would be a big turnaround in a very short space of time. He is a truly fantastic footballer but playing Rice from the start is a gamble Tuchel does not need to take.

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