Thomas Tuchel moved Declan Rice to right-back in a needs-must move for England, and the Arsenal star seemed to flourish in the role versus DR Congo.
With the Three Lions chasing the game, Tuchel opted for a more attacking approach, taking off his right-back, Djed Spence, and replacing him with Eberechi Eze.
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Subsequently, Rice was moved out of the midfield and shifted into a right-back role, and suddenly England looked a lot more secure defensively.
Rice has previously featured as a defender for Arsenal, so the 27-year-old played at right-back with real maturity against DR Congo.
For Arsenal, it was perhaps something Mikel Arteta should have considered doing in the Champions League final, with the Gunners looking so vulnerable down Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s side.
Mikel Arteta should have used Declan Rice at right-back vs PSG
Declan Rice could have been the perfect candidate to feature at right-back in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Following injuries to Ben White and Jurrien Timber, Arteta opted to go with Cristhian Mosquera in the right-back role.
Losing Rice from the midfield would not have been ideal, but would have been accounted for by bringing Martin Zubimendi into the team.
It would have also added the dynamic of having Rice’s qualities from out wide and presented a new threat to PSG.
Arsenal had real issues down the right side, with Kvaratskhelia causing Mosquera all sorts of issues down the right side.
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Eventually, the pressure told, and Mosquera gave away a penalty on the PSG attacker, as Arsenal’s defence finally buckled.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but moving Rice there to deal with the Georgian forward might have been the better option.
The Arsenal star looked very solid at the back for England, and after being moved to right-back, Congo had a lot less joy down that side.
Why Thomas Tuchel moved Declan Rice to right-back
After the England win, Tuchel told ITV Sport: “Anthony Barry had a brilliant idea when we were discussing it to put Declan there.
Asked why the coaching staff came to that conclusion, he added: “To have his quality from the side, get more difficult crosses in there to defend.
“To also have a bit more support for Bukayo, and with Ebes, who had a bit more connection and help on the right side to open it up.”
Firstly, Tuchel’s words just prove how good defensively Rice has now become, but also his versatility to be a threat from the right-back role.
In matches where Arsenal are starting to come under pressure or need more attackers on the pitch, moving Rice into that new defensive role could benefit the team in both senses.
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