Former England winger Chris Waddle wants Thomas Tuchel to make changes to solve his right-back crisis ahead of England’s World Cup 2026 quarter-final clash with Norway on Saturday.
With Jordan Henderson injured and Jarrell Quansah suspended, Waddle suggests moving Declan Rice to full-back while bringing John Stones into central midfield.
He also knows that England will be wary of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland’s threat as well as plenty of their Norwegian peers who also play in the Premier League.
Good on the ball
During an exclusive interview with 10bet, Waddle said of the right-back issue: “I would put Declan Rice at right-back – he’s very mobile, very fit, good on the ball and a good defender.
“I’m sure Declan Rice could play right-back, and then you can put somebody else in alongside [Elliot] Anderson.
“Obviously, it’s a different game now against Norway. A lot of their players play in the UK and know each other very well, so it’s going to be a game where they know each other inside out.
“We know they carry a big threat with Erling Haaland and the goalscoring record he’s got.
“But let’s be perfectly honest: if you stop Haaland, you don’t really look at the rest of the players in the Norway squad to see who is actually going to get the goals.
“So that’s a job Thomas Tuchel will be analysing, thinking, ‘Don’t give this guy any space whatsoever.’
“For me, I’d play Declan Rice at right-back and put someone else in the midfield.
“He has a lot of midfield players there, so I don’t think that’s a problem.”
Roll Stones into midfield
Stones impressed after coming off the bench in Monday’s heroic 3-2 win over Mexico, and Waddle added when discussing Tuchel’s team selection: “I think he’s tried everything.
“As I say, the right-back position is a problem, but for me, I’d put Declan Rice there and bring somebody else into the midfield.
“John Stones can play in there, by the way. There are a lot of options.
“I just think if we could get a little bit more creativity from the wide men.
“I know [Bukayo] Saka did well for the first goal and Anthony Gordon got the penalty, but in general play, they were often going backwards and square.
“You just think, can we get them in one-on-one positions, tell them to go at these guys and get to the byline a lot more?
“If we’re going to score more goals, we need a little bit more from the wide positions, but you can’t fault the effort and commitment they’ve got.”
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Michael Davey