Thomas Tuchel reveals Anthony Barry's idea behind Rice's right-back switch

Thomas Tuchel said England's late shift was Anthony Barry's idea, with Declan Rice sent to right-back for the final 12 minutes against Congo DR. Rice said that stint was probably the hardest 12 minutes of the game, and Harry Kane later scored the decisive goal with four minutes of normal time remaining in England vs Congo DR.

Barry's idea and Rice's workload

Tuchel was direct about where the call came from. "I think Anthony Barry had a brilliant idea in the end when we were discussing it, to put Declan there," he said. The move came after Rice had already played 91 minutes overall, so this was not a fresh defensive reshuffle or a long-term positional experiment.

Rice still finished with a 7.2 rating, which suggests the late adjustment did not pull him out of the game. It was a short spell, but it came after a heavy workload and asked him to handle a different part of the pitch when England were closing the match out.

England's right side in the closing minutes

Tuchel also explained the logic in more football terms. He said Rice's quality from the side could bring more difficult crosses, more out-swingers, and extra support for Bukayo Saka. Saka came on for 32 minutes, while Djed Spence had already been withdrawn after 70 minutes, so the right flank was being managed in stages rather than through one clean change.

That is where the tweak makes sense. England had already seen enough of the starting shape, and the late move gave them another route to attack and keep the right side connected. Harry Kane's two goals, including the winner, made the late structure look worthwhile rather than decorative.

Rice's own line was probably the clearest read on it. "It was probably the hardest 12 minutes of the game, that stint at right-back," he said. Tuchel then gave Barry full credit for the idea, and England left with a 2-1 win over Congo DR after a tactical switch that was brief, specific and useful.