THOMAS TUCHEL HANDS BIG ENGLAND ROLE TO DECLAN RICE
Arsenal's Declan Rice is set to captain England against Wales in a friendly, with Harry Kane injured. The midfielder continues to be a pivotal leader for both club and country.
England is expected to honour Declan Rice of Arsenal for his steady, excellent performances for his team. Over the previous few years, the 26-year-old has been an important member of his team and nation, and he is currently improving his goal total.
Rice has made 12 appearances this season, scoring two goals and dishing out four assists—a remarkable accomplishment given that he was left out of three of Mikel Arteta's starting lineups. Despite worries over a back injury during last weekend's triumph over West Ham United, he has been able to maintain high performance levels thanks to enough recuperation.
Rice had to be replaced late in the game because of a back injury, although he had scored the first goal against his old team. When Arsenal revealed that Martin Odegaard had left the Norway squad without mentioning Rice, all concerns regarding his availability for England were dispelled.
Rice has undoubtedly been England's most reliable midfield player in recent years, but despite his goal against Andorra and two assists in the team's loping 5-0 triumph against Serbia, Elliot Anderson made headlines during the most recent international break.
The fact that Rice will captain the Three Lions in tonight's friendly against Wales, with Harry Kane sidelined due to injury, indicates that head coach Thomas Tuchel clearly sees Rice's potential, according to BBC Sport.
When England lost to Brazil 1-0 last year, Rice wore the captain's armband for the first time. After being named West Ham's captain in 2022, the midfield player moved to Arsenal the following year and has remained a crucial leader ever since.
Although Arteta and the team have remained faithful to Martin Odegaard, many supporters and analysts, including former defender Tony Adams, believe he is the Gunners' most suitable captain.
The Spaniard admitted, "My perspective is obvious, and it is the same as all the staff and the players," in response to the suggestion that Rice would be a better captain than Odegaard.
"They all picked Martin Odegaard, the captain, by a wide margin when I asked them to vote for him yesterday. Which is the best indication of how the team believes we can get better?
Both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Magalhaes have taken over for Rice despite the Norway international missing a significant amount of the previous 12 months due to injury.
This decision may be the result of Arteta's reluctance to assign Rice further duties in light of what he already expects from him in both penalty areas.
THOMAS TUCHEL NAMES EXPANDED ENGLAND SQUAD FEATURING FOUR SURPRISE NEW INCLUSIONS
Thomas Tuchel hands maiden England call-ups to James Garner and Jason Steele while omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James Garner from Everton and Brighton’s goalkeeper Jason Steele have earned their first call-ups to the England squad. Alongside them, AC Milan’s defender Fikayo Tomori and Tottenham’s forward Dominic Solanke have also been included. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw did not make the cut this time.
Jude Bellingham, despite being sidelined since early February due to a hamstring injury, is still part of the squad. Experienced centre-back Harry Maguire, now 33, has the chance to add to his 64 caps, while 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who started in the Euro 2024 final, is also selected. Both last represented England in September 2024 but have been rewarded for Manchester United’s recent good form, which has lifted them to third place in the Premier League.
Luke Shaw, pushing for inclusion, has been overlooked once again. Instead, Tuchel has called up Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, marking his first call-up since Tuchel took over.
This squad is larger than usual, with players arriving in two phases during the international window. Tuchel explained on the Football Association’s website that the first group includes players who haven’t played much recently, aiming to broaden competition for spots in the upcoming US tour. Then, from Friday to Saturday, another group will join, including some who’ve had a short rest, to mix things up for the match against Japan.
England will face Uruguay at Wembley on March 27, followed by a home game against Japan on March 31. Looking ahead, the World Cup kicks off on June 11 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with England considered among the contenders.
Here’s the full squad breakdown:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle), Jason Steele (Brighton)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham)
WHY CAF STRIPPED SENEGAL OF THEIR AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS TITLE
Following a final walk-off, Senegal has lost its AFCON trophy in the boardroom, prompting an appeal to CAS by the FSF.
Moussa Niakhate finally spoke out after the Confederation of African Football’s shocking decision to take Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy away. After that wild walk-off in the final against Morocco, CAF backed an appeal and handed the host nation a 3-0 win by default. Senegalese players were furious; who wouldn’t be?
The boardroom decision completely flipped African football on its head. Two months after the final, the CAF Appeal Board tossed out Senegal’s victory and gave Morocco the win. It all started deep into stoppage time when VAR gave Morocco a penalty. Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s manager, lost it and told his players to leave the field. Eventually, they came back and finished the match. Still, officials said the walk-off broke tournament rules, so they took the title away. Brutal.
Niakhate, the 30-year-old defender who was key in Senegal’s backline, got asked about it before Lyon’s Europa League match with Celta. He’d already posted a photo with his medal and the trophy right after the ruling. He made it clear: nothing a boardroom says can erase what happened on the pitch. He said, “Out of respect for the club and with the crucial match in mind, I don’t want to go into too much detail. You saw my reaction on social media; it’s the same today. What I can say is that nothing has changed for me compared to what we went through in January. I’ll have time to talk about it again in due course; for now, I’m going to stay focused on Lyon.”
That final in Rabat was pure chaos, even before Senegal won 1-0 on the field. Most players followed Thiaw down the tunnel, but Sadio Mane stayed, urging his teammates to come back. Brahim Diaz took the penalty but tried a Panenka, and Edouard Mendy caught it easily. The game went to extra time, Papa Gueye scored, and Senegal thought they were champions again. It didn't matter; the walk-off cost them everything. The committee called it a 3-0 forfeit.
It’s harsh for a team that believed they’d gone back-to-back. Niakhate, who started six out of seven games, is now focusing on Lyon’s European campaign. Still, that boardroom drama isn’t going away, not with the international break coming up. Senegal’s already planning to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
