"He cares so much about his players" - England star hails newly appointed Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel
Declan Rice has heaped praise on new England coach Thomas Tuchel following their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Albania on Friday, March 21. The Three Lions kick-started the new era under Tuchel with a 2-0 win at Wembley.
Rice, who has been a key player for Arsenal this season, was named in the starting lineup of England’s World Cup qualifiers opener with Albania. He was impressive on the night as he assisted Harry Kane for his country’s second goal.
After the match, Rice praised Thomas Tuchel’s personality and charisma. He said (via Football London):
"I think just how he is as a person, his whole character, he’s been amazing. Like on the training pitch, how he puts his arm around you, just makes you feel loved and welcome."
"As a player I think that’s such a special thing, to feel loved by your manager. It gives you the confidence to go out there and really, really perform. And he’s done that with a lot of players this week. The way training has been, it’s been really high level. The energy has been really high, and that comes from him because of how he is as a character, his charisma."
The Arsenal midfielder also talked about the Three Lions' aim - winning the 2026 World Cup. He added:
“So, it’s only been the first week but it’s definitely exciting times. Obviously, it’s my first time working with Thomas and he’s really energetic. He cares so much about his players. We have one goal, to get to the World Cup and then get the second star on the shirt. I think he’s been massive on that. We’re all on the same page and we’re all together in that.”
England will take on Latvia tomorrow (Monday, March 24) at Wembley for their second FIFA World Cup qualifier. They are at the top of their group table.
"They know that I appreciate the effort" - Thomas Tuchel said he has spoken with England duo
England boss Thomas Tuchel talked about his conversation with Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford after criticizing their indecisiveness in the match against Albania.
Rashford and Foden were substituted in the second half of the 2-0 win at Wembley on Friday, and Tuchel demanded more dribbling and aggressiveness from the pair in the post-match press conference.
Ahead of the game against Latvia on Monday, Tuchel stated that he has spoken with the duo, addressing their performances and areas for improvement. The England boss said (via ESPN):
"I've spoken to both of them, also in front of the group. They know that I appreciate the effort, I think especially off the ball. We can see in the numbers and when we watch the match again how much effort they put into defending high and to the counter-press. Also in their sprinting numbers, Marcus had a lot of runs when we had the ball where we did not see him or use him."
"Phil is just maybe not finding the momentum, at the moment, that he can have. But both of them are very positive, have every right to be positive and know exactly what we want from them. Ideally we try to bring them in more one-on-one situations."
