Scholes' Bold Call: Drop Declan Rice for Attackers
Paul Scholes has never been afraid of a bold opinion. This time, his target is the heartbeat of Arsenal’s midfield and a cornerstone of England’s World Cup plans: Declan Rice.
With England safely through to the last 32 after topping Group L with seven points from nine, Thomas Tuchel is preparing his side for DR Congo on Wednesday in the United States. It should be a fixture that allows England to flex their attacking muscles. Scholes believes that starts with a ruthless call in midfield.
Scholes: Drop Rice and unleash the attackers
Rice sat out the 2-0 win over Panama, nursing a minor injury and protected from suspension after a yellow card against Ghana. The expectation is that he walks straight back into the XI for the knockout tie.
Scholes would do the opposite.
“England don’t need to play two sitting midfielders in the next game,” he said on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast. “No disrespect to Congo but in those type of games you play as many attackers as possible. I think it has to be a straight shootout between Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, and I think I would just go with Anderson.”
That’s the crux of his argument: control with purpose, not control for its own sake. Anderson, the Nottingham Forest midfielder on his way to Manchester City in a deal worth around £116m, offers something different in Scholes’ eyes.
“I think he will pass it forward a bit more,” Scholes said. Then came the comparison that will sting in north London. “Think about Rice with Arsenal… look, he’s a great player and a great leader, I get all that, and you’d rather him in your team than not most of the time.
“But Arsenal didn’t play great football last season either, did they? Rice couldn’t get [Martin] Odegaard in the game, so maybe that’s transferred a bit to England. I don’t think that happens with Anderson.”
It is a sharp line from a man who spent his career threading passes into creative No.10s. For Scholes, the issue is not Rice’s quality, but what England need in this specific type of knockout tie against a side expected to sit deep and concede territory.
Concerns over England’s level
Scholes’ criticism stretches beyond one selection debate. England’s group campaign, he feels, has not yet carried the authority of genuine world champions.
Tuchel’s side opened with a thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia, a performance that suggested a serious tilt at ending 60 years of hurt might be on. Since then, the sparkle has faded. England laboured in a drab stalemate with Ghana, then needed more than an hour to break Panama before finally easing to a 2-0 victory.
“It wasn’t great, was it?” Scholes said of the Panama game. His verdict on the wider tournament picture was just as blunt. “Across the three games I don’t think I’ve seen a team that will win the World Cup.
“It hasn’t been great but look, they could get better and they’re winning games and I do think they’ve got match winners in the team. I just don’t think they’re at the level of France or Argentina yet.”
Those are the standards England are now judged against. Winning is no longer enough; it is how they win, how they dominate, how they look against the very best.
Butt backs Rice – but agrees on the shape
Scholes is not alone in questioning the double pivot. Nicky Butt, another member of that Manchester United and England midfield lineage, also wants Tuchel to pick just one holding player.
The difference? Butt would not dream of leaving Rice out.
“You can’t play two sitting midfielders against teams who aren’t going to have any of the possession,” he said. “I’d definitely play Declan Rice in the next game so I would leave Elliot Anderson out.
“I think he’s been brilliant and is a top, top, top player which is why Man City have gone and paid £120m for him. I just don’t think you can leave Declan Rice out. He’s one of those players you just don’t leave out.”
Two former teammates, one tactical principle: be braver in midfield. The split comes over who carries that responsibility. Scholes wants Anderson’s forward passing and risk. Butt trusts Rice’s authority and big-game reliability.
A different kind of test
DR Congo arrive as third-place finishers from Group K, having beaten Uzbekistan, drawn with Portugal and lost to Colombia. On paper, England should dominate the ball and the territory. That is exactly why this debate has surfaced now.
Do you lean on security and leadership in Rice, one of the most consistent midfielders in the world, or tilt the balance towards incision with Anderson? Tuchel’s answer will reveal how he sees this England side: cautious and controlled, or ruthless and front-foot.
The margins sharpen from here. Group stages allow for slow starts and heavy legs. Knockout football does not. Tuchel must decide whose vision of midfield he trusts when the World Cup really starts to bite.
