Declan Rice has officially been designated as England’s vice-captain by coach Thomas Tuchel, who downplayed the importance of Jude Bellingham donning the captain’s armband during the latter part of the 1-0 win over New Zealand.
While Bellingham led the team after stepping onto the field during Saturday’s World Cup warm-up match in Tampa, Tuchel clarified that this decision was based solely on Bellingham’s status as the player with the most international caps present.
The head coach emphasized that the scenario would have been markedly different had Rice, a vital figure in England’s leadership cadre, been included in the matchday lineup at Raymond James Stadium. Notably, Rice captained England in a match against Wales last October when Harry Kane was unavailable.
“I would say Declan is my vice-captain,” Tuchel remarked when asked about the role. “I was just considering it – whether it’s an official designation or not. But I think we discussed this when Harry wasn’t with us. Was it against Wales? Did Harry miss that game? We started with Ollie [Watkins] and Declan was captain. That’s when I told him.”
As England prepares in Florida to adjust to the climate, the match against New Zealand served primarily as a practice session. Tuchel rotated his lineups throughout the halves, with Kane exiting after scoring the decisive goal just before halftime. Bellingham entered at the start of the second half, but Tuchel urged caution regarding interpretations of the 22-year-old’s temporary captaincy in Kane’s absence. “He just had the most caps,” the German coach stated. “You can verify that.”
Tuchel, who refrained from confirming whether Bellingham is part of the leadership group, indicated that his selection strategy will shift as England heads to Orlando for their final warm-up match against Costa Rica before commencing their tournament against Croatia in Group L on June 17. He mentioned that some players would get over an hour of playtime against Costa Rica, although he remains uncertain about fielding his preferred starting eleven for the World Cup.
A key consideration is whether Tuchel envisions Bellingham taking on the No. 10 role in his optimal lineup. Morgan Rogers has earned his place after a strong showing during the qualifying rounds. The Aston Villa forward featured in the first half against New Zealand, while Bellingham made an impression after his substitution, but Tuchel emphasized that the Real Madrid player must compete for his position.
“He is,” stated the former Chelsea manager. “He’s one of the starters, he knows that, but there are 14 or 15 potential starters. Then there’s a special group, and then there’s the leadership group. There are also players who finish matches and bring energy, setting standards and embracing their roles for challenges. These roles can change, but in my mind, there are 14 or 15 true starters, and Jude is among them.”
The Arsenal players reported to England’s pre-tournament training base in West Palm Beach on Saturday, but Tuchel is uncertain about the participation of Rice, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, and Bukayo Saka against Costa Rica. “Let’s see how they return,” he remarked. “Three training days and we’ll assess. We have one more match behind closed doors to manage all the minutes. If someone plays 70 minutes against Costa Rica and another only 20, that won’t be sufficient. Some will have played 20 or 30 minutes but will compete again the next day.”
A challenging aspect of the New Zealand match was the state of the pitch. “We opted to be here primarily due to the heat, which I believe we managed well,” Kane commented. “The pitch wasn’t ideal, so we had to adapt. That’s something we’ll face in the tournament. We prefer to play quickly and sharply, which wasn’t always achievable on that pitch. It felt a bit sticky and dry. This is the first week, and the match represented another step in our preparations.
“The drinks breaks are beneficial. Many discuss the heat, but I don’t think it will be as significant a factor as suggested. A few of us felt fine in the first game. We’ve trained in it, and it hasn’t been too bad. It’s easy to say it will be extremely tough as it’s different from what we’re used to. However, we are all athletes, professionals who have played in warm weather conditions before.”
