Paul Scholes Calls for Declan Rice to Be Dropped for Elliot Anderson
Paul Scholes has never been one to tiptoe around a big call. This time, his target is not a misfiring forward or a tactical tweak, but the man many see as the heartbeat of England’s midfield: Declan Rice.
With England safely through as Group L winners and a last‑32 tie against DR Congo looming on Wednesday in the United States, Thomas Tuchel is being urged by one of the country’s most decorated midfielders to make the kind of ruthless decision that shapes tournaments.
Scholes would drop Rice.
Scholes: Rice out, Anderson in
England arrive in the knockouts with seven points from nine, but the mood around the camp is hardly euphoric. Tuchel’s side opened with a thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia, a statement victory that suggested England were ready to rip into this World Cup. Since then, the swagger has faded.
They laboured badly in a goalless draw with Ghana, then took more than an hour to pierce Panama before finally grinding out a 2-0 win. Control without incision. Possession without punch.
Rice missed that Panama game, protected both from a lingering injury issue and the risk of suspension after a yellow card against Ghana. He is widely expected to walk straight back into the starting XI against DR Congo.
Scholes would slam that door shut.
“England don’t need to play two sitting midfielders in the next game,” he said on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, setting out a clear challenge to Tuchel’s cautious streak. For Scholes, this is not the moment for safety first.
“No disrespect to Congo but in those type of games you play as many attackers as possible. I think it has to be a straight shootout between Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, and I think I would just go with Anderson.”
That is a seismic opinion in the current England landscape. Rice, an Arsenal title winner and one of the most consistent midfielders in world football, is usually the first name on any team sheet. Scholes is not questioning his quality, but his suitability for this specific test.
“I think he will pass it forward a bit more,” Scholes said of Anderson. Then came the sting. “Think about Rice with Arsenal… look, he’s a great player and a great leader, I get all that, and you’d rather him in your team than not most of the time.
“But Arsenal didn’t play great football last season either, did they? Rice couldn’t get [Martin] Odegaard in the game, so maybe that’s transferred a bit to England. I don’t think that happens with Anderson.”
In other words: England need a midfielder who forces the issue, not one who patrols the space.
Concerns over England’s level
Scholes’ criticism did not stop at the Rice debate. His broader assessment of England’s group-stage performances cut just as sharply.
“It wasn’t great, was it?” he said of the Panama win. The scoreline said routine, the performance did not. Across three games, England have yet to convince one of their finest modern midfielders that they belong among the elite.
“Across the three games I don’t think I’ve seen a team that will win the World Cup,” he added. “It hasn’t been great but look, they could get better and they’re winning games and I do think they’ve got match winners in the team.
“I just don’t think they’re at the level of France or Argentina yet.”
That is the bar England are being judged against. Not DR Congo. Not Ghana. France and Argentina: the current gold standard, the teams who impose themselves on tournaments rather than simply surviving them.
Butt backs Rice – but attacks the double pivot
Scholes is not alone in questioning Tuchel’s double‑pivot approach. His former Manchester United and England teammate Nicky Butt sees the same structural problem, even if he reaches a different conclusion on the personnel.
“You can’t play two sitting midfielders against teams who aren’t going to have any of the possession,” Butt said, echoing the call for more ambition with the ball.
The divergence comes when he is asked to choose between Rice and Anderson, the Nottingham Forest midfielder on the brink of a blockbuster move to Manchester City worth around £116m.
“I’d definitely play Declan Rice in the next game so I would leave Elliot Anderson out,” Butt insisted. “I think he’s been brilliant and is a top, top, top player which is why Man City have gone and paid £120m for him.
“I just don’t think you can leave Declan Rice out. He’s one of those players you just don’t leave out.”
Two former teammates. One clear tactical demand: only one holding midfielder. But a split down the middle over who should carry that responsibility.
DR Congo next – and no room for caution
England’s opponents, DR Congo, arrive from a more chaotic path. They finished third in Group K, beating Uzbekistan, drawing with Portugal and losing to Colombia. Unpredictable, awkward, and with nothing to lose.
On paper, England should dominate the ball and the territory. That is precisely why Scholes and Butt are so adamant: two sitters against a team unlikely to see much of the ball would feel like a step backwards.
Tuchel has already shown he can send out a side that swarms opponents, as Croatia discovered. The question now is whether he trusts his attacking talent enough to strip away one layer of protection and hand the keys to a more adventurous midfield.
Rice or Anderson. Control or risk. Familiarity or the bolder option.
England have spent 60 years chasing a second World Cup. Tuchel came to the United States to end that wait. Does he dare to leave out one of his biggest stars to find the cutting edge this team still lacks?
