‘Wow, what a top manager’ – Declan Rice reveals Thomas Tuchel’s speech had England stars mesmerised at half-time

DECLAN RICE has revealed Thomas Tuchel mesmerised the England players at half-time against Croatia. The Three Lions had been pegged back to 2-2 by their opponents just before the break. Captain Harry Kane had given England the lead twice at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. But Martin Baturina and Peter Musa found the target for Croatia to equalise before half-time. After the break, England came out flying and Jude Bellingham re-established the lead within two minutes. They could have extended the lead on multiple occasions in the next 15 minutes after creating a flurry of chances. READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP Rice has now revealed that the energy-filled performance had come from Tuchel’s team-talk in the changing room. Speaking to ITV, he said: “I think obviously the first half probably felt worse than what it was just because of the manner of the goals we conceded. “We had a lot of the ball. “But I think second half, you see that punch, that desire from the first minute, that there was that extra spring in our step, the press, our strength, the way we went forward, the way we created chances in the second half, the keeper had a worldie. Most read in Sport WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS World Cup 2026 - all the info LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED! This year’s World Cup is like no other as a record-breaking 48 nations compete to lift football’s biggest prize. England manager Thomas Tuchel is hoping to finally bring football home after a 60-year drought. But footballing legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have other plans in what will likely be their final World Cup appearance. SunSport have got everything you need for the huge tournament LATEST NEWS - Hopes of World Cup bank holiday rise if England lift trophy - Messi breaks down in tears after World Cup goal - Fans claim World Cup is ‘rigged’ after Messi escapes ‘obvious red’ - Tuchel’s national anthem vow KEY INFO - World Cup 2026 full match schedule including kick-off times - World Cup 2026 full squads - World Cup 2026 rule changes - World Cup 2026 prize money VIDEO - Proper Football Daily: Get all the expert analysis each morning - Team Talk – Tactics Exposed: Dive into the tactical talking points TIPS AND BETTING If you click a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. “So yeah, all round I think it was a great performance. “He [Tuchel] was top at half-time. The words he used, what he said, settled everyone. “I can’t say too much, but it was just one of those moments where you’re like, wow, what a top manager. “I think we went out in the second half, and everyone was relaxed, and we just went for it. ENGLAND 4 CROATIA 2 – WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED “In the end, obviously, we could have scored a lot more than what we did. “Their goalkeeper played unbelievably well. But to get a win and to have different goal scorers was brilliant.” Rice was replaced by Morgan Rogers in the 72nd minute after sparking injury concerns. Tuchel admitted after the match that he would never normally take the Arsenal midfielder off the pitch. CLICK ON PIC FOR STAR’S PROFILE However, admitted that the midfielder was exhausted after he was spotted limping. The German boss said: “Let’s see. I hope they’re OK. I would never take Declan out normally. “We were not very clean when we won balls. We learn a lot from these moments. “We are exhausted but I loved exhausted players in the dressing room. It’s pressure, it’s the first game of the tournament.” Rice was not the only injury concern for the Three Lions as Kane was spotted with leg strapping after the game. The striker took a blow late in the game, which left him feeling his leg for a bit before the final whistle. He was able to complete the 90 minutes and will be hoping to be fit to face Ghana next Tuesday. The Bayern Munich star’s two goals took his tally to TEN at World Cups, which has seen him level Gary Lineker’s all-time England total. Tuchel did reveal that he told the players that they were too focused on the result in the first half. He said: “I just reinforced – even if we lose it will not change my perception of the last 17 days – but let’s do it our way. “[I said] we are too focused on the result, on protecting what we anyway don’t have at the moment. “The second goal was an example. We were a back seven and didn’t defend the goal, so why be a back seven? “If the result doesn’t go our way, we want to play the way we want to. I tried to encourage them to go for it. “We are exhausted, but don’t get me wrong, I love exhausted players in the dressing room. “Today there are only positives. “Tomorrow we fix all the other stuff.”