Thomas Tuchel: England will be at their best when opponents really want to win; Declan Rice will start

Ahead of the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against DR Congo, Thomas Tuchel, England's manager, gave an interview to the English media.

On the match against DR Congo

Thomas Tuchel: We're definitely ready. Yes, we just need to understand that we're entering the less interesting phase of the tournament, and even another round—the Round of 32. We're competing as favorites again. We have expectations to win, and everyone expects us to win. So there's nothing more than trying to meet our own expectations. We need to be smart enough to understand this, to do what needs to be done, and to find a way to win. Because in the Round of 32, we're facing a reunion with Panama and Ghana.

You said after the Panama match that we'd see a stronger England in the knockout stages, and you hoped to see an improved England...

Thomas Tuchel: If we advance another two or three rounds and progress further in this tournament, we'll see our best form. When we reach that level where opponents genuinely want to beat us—not just control us or prevent us from playing—I don't think now is the time to shine or expect spectacular performances. Now is the time to get through, do the job, move forward, and show our quality in small moments. Because we've seen that no one can create many chances, no one can score many goals easily. Colombia played defensively well, Portugal played defensively well. They defend in depth, take pride in their defense, and are well-organized. This could be a test of patience again.

Do you feel there's too much focus on performance levels from outside right now?

Thomas Tuchel: I don't know what people outside are saying. I'm not concerned with the outside. I'm in this bubble. I understand that playing against Croatia is completely different in terms of expectations and squad quality. If you play against a top-ten team in the world in the first match and we play like that in the second half, scoring four goals, everyone would expect, "Please play like that against Ghana" and "Now you face Panama, please play like that against Panama." But setting up a game is very different. And without proof to the contrary, I don't see any team that can easily break through Panama's defensive line and score freely. I don't see it at all. So we have to rely on set pieces until the game opens up. That's what happened. This also happens in the Premier League in December, January, February, March, when you play in the FA Cup and you win away. You know: "Wow, the opponents came well prepared, you have to overcome difficulties and you win from set pieces, or you open the game from set pieces." I think anticipation is important, and understanding our situation is crucial too, because it frees you. So you don't feel frustrated, disappointed, or doubtful, because we have to believe in ourselves. It's difficult to do what we need to do. We need to find a way to win, and we need to meet our own expectations. We need full support, and everyone needs to understand our situation. Now is the time to deliver results.

Some people say England relies too much on Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. What would you say to them?

Thomas Tuchel: Ten weeks ago we relied too much on Harry Kane. Now we rely too much on Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. No problem. I'm not bothered by any opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Of course we rely on them. Why wouldn't we rely on them? Why shouldn't they be central to what we do? Why not build our strategy around them and get them into dangerous positions in the box? Why not? So I don't see this as negative. Can our other attacking players step up? Do they need to step up, get involved, grow incrementally through this tournament, and decide matches? Yes, clearly yes. That's the responsibility our players have right now.

A few days ago, while Declan Rice was absent, Jude Bellingham played in a deeper position. I'd like to ask you about your relationship with Jude Bellingham now, because from the outside it might have looked slightly complicated at first, but we noticed that during water breaks you often speak with him in depth, and you put your arm around him. How would you describe your relationship?

Thomas Tuchel: I'm demanding, and I'm demanding with everyone. We spent some time finding our rhythm, and that's completely normal. There's no issue with that. I've always planned for Jude Bellingham to be an important player for this team, a key player in our squad. I'm pleased he's shown he has the quality to be a loyal team player, and beyond that, he can also decide matches with his unique ability. That's exactly what we need. He's in excellent form now, and that's his own doing. It's a pleasure to have him in the team, and he's showing his best.

Is Declan Rice fit enough to start?

Thomas Tuchel: Declan is ready to start, and of course he will start.

He will start?

Thomas Tuchel: Yes, absolutely.

Do you think England missed him in the last match?

Thomas Tuchel: We always miss Declan. Declan is one of the best midfielders at connecting the deep defensive line with the high attacking line. So we give him the box-to-box role. He has very high football intelligence. Yes, right now he needs to find his form, find his rhythm. We kept him on the bench in the last match because of a yellow card—we couldn't afford to risk him. He's an important player, crucial for us.

Now let's talk about the right-back position. How is Jarrell Quansah doing?

Thomas Tuchel: He's working hard. He trained separately today. There's a rumor he might join full training tomorrow. I'm the first to be happy to believe those rumors. Reece James is also pushing hard.

So both of them could potentially start?

Thomas Tuchel: Limited time. I'm not sure. We're still working on it, but it will be a tight competition.

Do you have other options? Could it be Jade Solanke?

Thomas Tuchel: Jade Solanke is a reasonable option, and we also have Ezri Konsa.

But when he's been performing well at center-back, do you still want to move him to the wing?

Thomas Tuchel: Right now he's playing very well at center-back, so in principle I wouldn't want to do that. But it's an option because John Stones is training at a very high level right now and can play the position. That's the foundation. If there are further injuries, Dan Burn could also be an option on the left.

You must be craving defensive stability, having to field a different back four in every match.

Thomas Tuchel: Yes, we're too committed to high pressing. We're also too committed to man-to-man marking. I think we're one of the few teams constantly pressing the opponent's goalkeeper, which leaves us with one fewer player on the pitch. This puts us at risk. Especially in the last match, we need to fix this. This won't be our approach in the knockout rounds. We need to choose our pressing moments better. We need to control our defensive behavior to prevent opponents from attacking well, or to respond quickly after losing the ball. This impulse comes from a good starting point—our excessive commitment to high pressing. We just want to keep going, pressing and pressing, but it's a bit too much and leaves us with too many gaps.

Thomas, you were hired to win the FIFA World Cup for England. This is the first match that will determine whether this summer's goal can be achieved. If England loses, this is the first time that dream might end. How do you feel?

Thomas Tuchel: The feeling that the dream might end isn't pleasant, but we're not focused on that. We're preparing for a difficult match, for a knockout game. To be honest, it feels very exciting. The tournament has completely restarted. We need to do our best, which includes me. I know what the dream is. I know why I'm here. And I know my ambitions. So it's not over yet.