Barry’s Bold Call Transforms Rice into Right-Back

In the chaos of a game that swung like a pendulum, the key adjustment didn’t come from the man in the spotlight on the touchline, but from the assistant at his shoulder.

After the match, Thomas Tuchel revealed that the tactical switch which reshaped England’s right flank was the brainchild of Anthony Barry. The tweak was simple on paper, awkward in practice: Declan Rice, the heartbeat of midfield, shunted to right-back.

It changed everything out wide.

Tuchel explained that Barry’s idea was to use Rice’s delivery and composure from the flank, sharpening the quality of crosses and giving England a more dangerous, more varied threat. From there, the plan was clear: tougher balls into the box, outswingers that defenders hate, and a stronger structure on that side of the pitch.

“Anthony Barry had a brilliant idea to put Declan there,” Tuchel admitted, giving his assistant full credit. The aim was to draw more from Rice’s technique in wide areas, turning him into a source of “more difficult crosses… more difficult to defend.”

The move also had a knock-on effect. With Rice sliding across, Bukayo Saka suddenly found extra protection behind him and a calmer outlet beside him. Eberechi Eze, operating on that side, benefited too, with Tuchel pointing to a clearer connection on the right that “helped and opened it up.”

The pressure finally told. England’s right flank stopped creaking and started to control.

For Rice, though, the late switch was no tactical theory session. It was survival.

“It was probably the hardest 12 minutes of the game having a stint at right back,” the Arsenal midfielder admitted afterwards. The match had opened up into what he called a “basketball” contest – frantic, end to end, with fast wingers ready to pounce on any mistake. In that storm, Rice had to recalibrate his game in real time.

He still played a crucial role in the build-up to the equaliser, showing why the staff trusted him to handle the shift. But he didn’t hide how demanding it felt, physically and mentally, to drop into an unfamiliar defensive role at the height of the tension.

“I think we made more hard work of it than we needed to,” he said, reflecting on a contest that England struggled to tame. He has filled in at right-back “two or three times this season” and understands the demands of the role, but was blunt about where his strengths truly lie. This isn’t his natural stage.

Even so, the attitude was unflinching. With 12 minutes left, Rice told the bench he would do it, and he believes he did the job well. It was a reminder of why managers lean on him in tight moments: reliability under pressure, even out of position.

“To do anything for the team and the manager,” he said. That line will not be lost on Tuchel or Barry as they plot the next steps.

Rice finished with a wry hope that he won’t be needed at right-back again in the next game. After this cameo, though, England’s staff know they have another emergency option in their pocket on that flank – and an assistant coach unafraid to suggest a bold reshuffle when the game starts to slip.