Once settled inside the MetLife’s dressing room, goalless against Panama at half-time, Thomas Tuchel calmly delivered another sermon that soothed the sort of England concerns that were being shared by millions back home.
It’s becoming a running theme, England emerging rejuvenated after the break following a cool debrief, but Declan Rice knows that the mindset around this World Cup campaign changes when they arrive in Atlanta, where DR Congo lie in wait.
Rice wants a team soon to boast three midfielders worth more than £100million to attack games from the off and truly show why others ought to fear them.
‘I think now it (knockout football) probably changes the mentality,’ he said. ‘We’re going to be really motivated to continuing pushing on. These are teams who want to beat England.
‘I feel like now the knockouts come, you’re going to keep seeing the best versions of everyone. The real key is if you can get an early goal in games against low blocks – I think that’s when you’ll see teams start to open up.
Declan Rice says England are ready to show their real selves in the World Cup knock-outs
Thomas Tuchel has been preparing England’s players to be at their best in the latter stages
‘To a neutral, when you’re playing against 10 behind the ball, when you look at the quality of an England side, you would say, “Right, how are we not scoring four or five?”
‘I understand how teams have a way of playing against us and doing anything to win. But we need to find ways to keep counteracting that. We’ve been trying to attack and threaten teams, even though the goals haven’t come in the second and third games as much as we wanted.’
There have been moments, patches, for England. That 15 minutes against Croatia, the quick double in New Jersey on Saturday. Those have been enough until now for a team tending too many injuries across the pitch.
While Rice maintained that a calf issue sustained last week has cleared, he has been managing a neural hamstring complaint for months, putting his body on the line for club and country. The peculiar nature of it has taken some adjusting to.
‘You could be sat at home and you’d feel a little pain shoot up your leg,’ he revealed. ‘It’s just something that is obviously a bit unusual for me because I’ve never had anything (like that) before.
‘It’s strange because you can just feel it like sitting there. It’s something I’ve just managed. I’ve tried to get my rest when I can and last season I was just prioritising games.’
Tuchel did similar on Saturday, Rice watching from the bench to rest but – on a booking for the tournament – also to steer clear of a suspension. That has now reset and he is ready to line up next to Elliot Anderson, who was completing a medical ahead of a £116m move to Manchester City on Sunday.
‘We had a great chat the other day,’ Rice added. ‘We were sat outside on the beanbags. I just said to him that he can’t control the price that he’s going for.
‘I couldn’t control what I went for, he can’t control what he’s going for. Why he’s going for that price is because he’s been one of the best players in Europe this season.
Elliot Anderson and Rice form a £216m partnership in England’s midfield now
‘If you watch him play every game, everything goes through him at Nottingham Forest. He’s constantly on the ball, he’s the engine room. I was trying to give him a bit of perspective that the price tag is just noise. Just go and do what you’ve been doing and you’ll be just fine.’
Much to do before then, though. Rice believes England’s midfield core – him, Anderson and Jude Bellingham – have more to give. If England are to make history over the course of the coming weeks, that trio has to purr.
There have been murmurings about style, just as Arsenal had to contend all season before lifting the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final. The clip of Rice shouting ‘it’s not over’ at full time on losing away at City in April went viral and it is that attitude he wants to impart on others when the chips are down. Be it against Congo or whoever else.
‘There are definitely going to be moments of that,’ Rice said. ‘There are going to be moments where we’re going to have setbacks in games. Tough periods. The best teams are left. The best players are left.’
England have a few of those too, as Tuchel has been quietly reminding them.
