Tuchel Credits Barry for Tactical Shift as Rice Faces Challenge at Right-Back
Thomas Tuchel did not try to claim this one as his own. When the tactical switch that tilted the game finally came, he pointed straight to his assistant.
The late reshuffle that pushed Declan Rice out to right-back and rebalanced England’s right flank was, Tuchel revealed, the brainchild of Anthony Barry – and it changed the feel of the contest.
“Anthony Barry had a brilliant idea to put Declan there,” Tuchel admitted, as quoted by The Sun. He wanted Rice’s delivery from wider areas, his calm on the ball, and his engine to pin the opposition back.
To Tuchel, it was about angles and aggression. Rice stepping wide meant England could whip in “more difficult crosses… more difficult to defend, more crosses and outswingers.” The right side, which had looked stretched and exposed at times, suddenly carried purpose.
The knock-on effect was obvious. Bukayo Saka, who had been fighting his corner largely alone, gained a safety net and a passing option. With Eberechi Eze drifting in and linking play, the right flank became a genuine route to goal rather than a patch-up job.
“Also have a bit more support for Bukayo [Saka] and with Ebs [Eze] we had a bit more of a connection on the right side that helped and opened it up. So full credit to my assistant,” Tuchel said, happy to shine the spotlight away from himself.
The tweak was as much about mentality as it was about shape. England needed control. They got it, and Rice was central to the shift.
He played a crucial role in the build-up to the equaliser, stepping into unfamiliar territory but still finding the composure to move the ball with authority. Yet for all the tactical praise, Rice’s own description of the spell at right-back was far from glamorous.
“It was probably the hardest 12 minutes of the game having a stint at right back,” the Arsenal midfielder admitted afterwards.
The match had descended into chaos by then. Transitions everywhere. Space opening up on both wings. For a player used to patrolling the middle, the touchline felt like a different sport.
“In games like that it was probably too much of a basketball match at times, back and forth, and we had to take the sting out of it because they have fast wingers,” Rice said. The job was simple on paper: slow it down, shut it off, lock that side of the pitch.
On the grass, with tired legs and quick wide men flying at him, it became a test of concentration and nerve as much as positioning.
“I think we made more hard work of it than we needed to,” he admitted, a blunt assessment of a contest England allowed to become more open than their manager would have liked.
Rice is no stranger to the role. He has dipped in at right-back “two or three times this season,” as he pointed out, and he understands the basics of the job. But there is no pretence from him that this is where he shines brightest.
“I know the role, it is probably not my biggest strength but to do anything for the team and the manager,” he said. That line summed up his night: a midfielder dragged into the trenches, doing the unfussy, uncomfortable work that rarely makes the highlight reels.
“12 minutes left I said I would do my best and I think I did well there,” he added, a fair reflection after helping stabilise a side that had looked in danger of losing its grip.
The experiment worked. England found structure, found an equaliser, and found a way to ride out the storm. The question now is whether Tuchel and Barry reach for the same card again.
“Let’s see what happens next game,” Rice said, half-smiling, “but hopefully I don’t have to be at right back.”
