Declan Rice is one of the England players who early showed signs of fatigue right from the first minutes of the match against Norway. However, that is also one of the most easily misleading images.
In every aspect, it is very difficult to find a more dedicated, energetic and persistent player than Rice. However, due to not being in the best physical condition due to illness, he could not show his usual form in the quarter-finals and had to leave the field in the second half to make way for Eberechi Eze.
Declan Rice has had a lot of difficulty after the past 3 days, when he was mostly lying in bed because he was sick. I know he couldn't last for 90 minutes" - Tuchel said after the victory over Norway.
If Rice is really exhausted after 11 months of continuous competition, it is not surprising. Since mid-August last year, the 27-year-old midfielder has played 67 matches for both Arsenal and the England national team.
More importantly, Rice not only participates but also always contributes with very high intensity. Last season, no Arsenal player ran more than him. In the Premier League, Rice played 3,099 minutes and traveled more than 380km.
Since the beginning of the 2025-2026 season, Rice has played a total of 5,312 minutes for the club and national team. It is estimated that he has traveled more than 640km on the field since the opening match of the season against Manchester United at Old Trafford on August 17, 2025.
The surprising thing is that Rice still maintains a high intensity of competition throughout the season and seems to have not fallen into the "red zone" - a physical threshold where fatigue can directly affect performance and ability to compete. Of course, he is not the only case facing physical problems at the 2026 World Cup.
In fact, Elliot Anderson moved more than Rice in the Premier League last season with 411km after 3,334 minutes of play. However, Rice not only consumed a lot of energy but also had to bear great mental pressure.
Before the semi-final match against Argentina, coach Thomas Tuchel will have to make an important decision. The medical department will assess whether Rice has fully recovered or not. If this midfielder has not reached his best physical condition, letting him start from the beginning will be a risk.
Rice did not create the usual influence in the match against Norway and England actually played more brightly after he left the field. Tuchel still has many quality replacements and will certainly not hesitate to use them if needed.
In case Rice is completely healthy and regains his form, he is still an ideal choice in midfield. However, if you look at the performance below par in the first half of the match against Norway, arranging him to start from the beginning against Argentina would be a gamble that Tuchel does not necessarily have to risk.
The match between England and Argentina takes place at 2:00 AM on July 16 (Vietnam time).
