Tuchel reveals Rice was bedridden before England's quarter-final win

Thomas Tuchel said Declan Rice spent most of the three days before England’s quarter-final in bed with a sickness bug, yet still started in the 2-1 extra-time win over Norway in Miami. Rice was taken off at half-time, a decision Tuchel said reflected how little chance the midfielder had of lasting the full 90 minutes, never mind another 30 if the match went to extra time.

Tuchel’s calculation was straightforward: if Rice could not realistically complete a normal match, England could not afford to spend another substitution trying to protect him later. That choice proved decisive in a game that stretched beyond regulation before England finally secured their place in the semi-finals. It also underlined how little margin for error exists once a knockout tie turns into a test of endurance, especially when a starter arrives undercooked and the bench has to be managed as carefully as the XI.

Rice’s illness had already disrupted England’s preparations. He missed consecutive training sessions before returning on the eve of the game alongside Marc Guéhi and Reece James, easing concerns that the bug could spread through the camp. The return of all three players to training offered Tuchel some relief after several days of uncertainty around the squad’s fitness.

Those concerns were not limited to the illness itself. Tuchel had also been dealing with earlier fitness questions over Rice, whose lower-back and hamstring problems had already complicated selection plans. That made his eventual decision to start Rice more understandable, but also more precarious, with England forced to balance talent, tolerance for pain and the physical demands of a tournament match that could run to 120 minutes.

England’s victory sent them into the semi-finals, where they were set to face either Argentina or Switzerland. For Tuchel, the Rice episode was less about one player’s bug than about the tightrope modern teams walk when a compromised starter can reshape an entire knockout match.