Thomas Tuchel has described substituting Declan Rice in the 71st minute against Croatia as something he would not normally do, a decision that now represents England’s biggest worry on their otherwise steady march toward World Cup glory.

Tuchel later clarified that his move was purely to “protect” Rice, adding that the midfielder “reassured me at the end it’s good.” Rice himself sought to calm concerns, saying, “All good – good as gold. Just what I’ve been nursing probably in the second half of the season at Arsenal. Little neural pains here and there. But yeah, I’m all good. All fine, just precaution. I’ll be back out there against Ghana.”

Rice featured for the full 90 minutes in 29 of Arsenal’s Premier League fixtures this season and played every minute of their Champions League knockout ties. In the latter half of the campaign, while managing his back issue, he missed just 40 minutes of competitive football across both competitions—26 minutes in a 2-1 win over Chelsea after requesting a substitution, likely due to the same discomfort, and 14 minutes at the close of a 3-0 win over Fulham once the match was already secure.

Both Mikel Arteta and Tuchel have made it clear that Rice is indispensable, especially in decisive moments. That dependence now poses a real problem. England may choose to rest him against Ghana on Tuesday or Panama on Saturday, but there remains a genuine fear that if he plays and aggravates the injury, he could miss the knockout stages altogether.

Tuchel must therefore look to his bench for a solution, and here we assess nine realistic options he could turn to, ranked from least to most favourable.

The idea floated by the overly confident pub-goer – “He’s always in midfield anyway so why don’t we just play him there?” – might sound tempting. The argument that Harry Kane could still take penalties and score from corners holds some merit, but picturing him dashing around midfield, intercepting passes and lunging into tackles is exhausting even to imagine. He would likely be sent off within an hour—if not physically drained before that.

One late addition to the squad has surprisingly played 90 of his 275 senior club appearances in midfield—a fact perhaps only known by Ipswich and Huddersfield fans. Few would have predicted that a former Championship loanee would end up featuring in midfield for England at a World Cup. There might come a time when Eberechi Eze is deployed as a box-to-box midfielder, but that would signal a desperate situation England will hope to avoid.

Another option, whose limited minutes at Arsenal stemmed largely from a lack of off-the-ball intensity—a non-negotiable trait in Tuchel’s system—is unlikely to be trusted in this role. While his near-flawless performances in the 2023 Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid and the final against Inter Milan still linger in memory, John Stones’ recent form has been less convincing. Over the past three years, he has started only 23 Premier League matches, and his display against Croatia raised doubts about his ability to handle the demands of midfield.

At Manchester City, Stones has been labelled a Swiss Army Knife by Pep Guardiola for his versatility, including his stints in midfield covering for Rodri, one of the best central midfielders of the last decade. If that works for Guardiola and City, it should in theory work for Tuchel and England. However, shifting him there would deprive the team of O’Reilly’s influence at left-back, and with Lewis Hall left out of the squad, any chain of changes that risks Dan Burn returning to full-back must be avoided.

There’s an argument to keep things as they are: “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” Jude Bellingham excelled in the No.10 role against Croatia, though he looked less effective when dropped deeper after Rice’s exit. Against Ghana and Panama, Tuchel might be tempted to deploy more attacking players, possibly moving Bellingham to No.8 behind Morgan Rogers. Yet, Tuchel has so far prioritised team balance and structure over cramming several star names into the starting XI and hoping they click.

Some fans, particularly on social media, were critical of Tuchel’s choice to start Elliot Anderson over Kobbie Mainoo, especially after a shaky first half from England. However, Anderson silenced doubters with a commanding second-half display that reasserted England’s control and justified Tuchel’s faith.

If Rice himself were choosing his replacement, Mainoo might be unlucky. The Arsenal midfielder reportedly remains “sceptical about his productivity off the ball,” and while the Manchester United youngster is elegant to watch, Rice’s preference for grit over grace in midfield battles is understandable.

Tuchel still believes Jordan Henderson can contribute, and nothing from his performances at Brentford suggests otherwise, despite scepticism following his stint in the Saudi Pro League. While his ageing legs might struggle against elite opposition, Henderson remains a dependable choice against Ghana or Panama.

Initially, Tuchel was not convinced by Reece James as a defensive midfielder, having seen him play that role for Chelsea under Enzo Maresca. “I still feel he is a player for the full-back and wing-back positions,” he said in March 2025. “I think we have enough players in central midfield who are more specialists there.”

However, James has since flourished in that position for Chelsea, going toe-to-toe with top-tier midfielders this season. Notably, in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal in November, he dictated play even after Moises Caicedo was sent off. Tuchel praised him after the Croatia match: “He can produce special moments any time. He has the body to defend at the highest level and the physicality. So it’s a full package. He gives us flexibility because he plays many times for Chelsea as a [number] six, so he is a candidate to play there as well. Right full-back is his main position for us, but he stays and is an alternative in the middle of the pitch.”

By choosing James ahead of Mainoo, Henderson, and others against Croatia, Tuchel demonstrated his faith in the Chelsea captain’s attributes, which closely mirror Rice’s own skill set. If Tuchel wants a strong, ball-playing partner for Anderson, James appears to be his best option—especially given Djed Spence’s impressive cameo at right-back in James’ absence.