England without Rice: who does each part of his job?
After the Spain defeat, England need to share the passing, carrying and defensive work — while keeping Jude Bellingham close enough to goal to make a difference.
29 September 2026 · Analysis · Reporting cutoff: 09:35 BST, before the Czechia team announcement.
England's answer to Declan Rice's absence has already begun to take shape. Against Spain, Thomas Tuchel paired Myles Lewis-Skelly with Elliot Anderson, kept Jude Bellingham ahead of them and introduced James Garner during the second half. England led at the break, had an opportunity to go 3–1 ahead and finished with a 3–2 defeat. Spain's federation match report.
The strongest way forward is to distribute Rice's responsibilities. Anderson offers continuity and substantial work in both directions. Lewis-Skelly can help England receive under pressure. Garner brings a strong case for recovering possession, while Alex Scott offers another combination of carrying and recovery running. Choosing between them starts with deciding which part of the job needs help.
The latest squad picture
Rice withdrew through injury on 21 September, alongside Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento. Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White were added. Mainoo's absence matters particularly here: another option for receiving and retaining possession in midfield is unavailable. The FA's squad update.
Ahead of Tuesday's game, Tuchel indicated a preference for continuity. “Ideally, I would love to put the same team out there,” he said, subject to medical advice. Ezri Konsa and Nico O'Reilly had missed training with minor issues and remained under assessment. A changed defence could alter the midfield's demands even if the midfield selection stays the same. Tuchel's Czechia press conference.
Why Rice takes more than one player to replace
Winning the ball is only the beginning. A midfielder must then offer a safe pass, move the attack forward and judge whether to join it or stay behind it. Rice combines those decisions with the physical ability to cover ground when an attack breaks down.
His club record illustrates that range. Arsenal's review of his 2025–26 campaign credited him with leading their squad in chances created, with 96, and possession recoveries, with 239, across all competitions. These are club figures rather than a measurement of his England role, but they show why the discussion has to extend beyond tackling. Arsenal's season review.
There is also a difference between defending well and recording a defensive action. Holding a position that discourages a dangerous pass can help the team without producing a tackle. Chasing the ball and leaving that position can increase a player's activity while making the team easier to attack.
That distinction should shape how England judge the alternatives.
What Spain actually showed
The FA's report describes Bellingham releasing Anthony Gordon for England's equaliser after a Spanish corner, followed by Kane heading in O'Reilly's cross. Bellingham then won the penalty Kane struck against the crossbar. England could still connect midfield to attack and threaten the penalty area. The FA's match report.
The same report records Yamal dispossessing Marc Guéhi for the opener, another giveaway before Álex Baena's equaliser, and opportunities for Ferran Torres to run through. Those are different mechanisms. The scoreline cannot establish how much Rice's absence contributed, or whether one midfield change would have prevented them.
Tuchel praised England's willingness to regain possession high up the pitch, while regretting how little they made of some recoveries. That is his assessment, rather than proof that the midfield functioned well throughout. It identifies a useful distinction: England need to improve what happens after winning the ball as well as how they defend after losing it. Tuchel's post-match reaction.
Anderson: the foundation, with help around him
Elliot Anderson's 2025–26 Premier League season at Nottingham Forest brought 306 possession recoveries, the competition's highest total, alongside 2,383 passes. Those figures describe a player heavily involved in recovering the ball and making himself available to use it. They support keeping him central to the solution. The Premier League's Anderson profile.
The danger is asking his range to cover incompatible demands. If Anderson moves towards a centre-back to help England escape pressure, someone must remain available farther forward. If he follows an opponent towards the touchline, someone must protect the space he leaves.
England can give Anderson more responsibility. They still need to give him a partner with clear responsibilities of his own.
Lewis-Skelly, Garner and Scott offer different help
Lewis-Skelly helps England receive and move through pressure. Adrian Clarke's Premier League analysis highlighted Myles Lewis-Skelly's strength in shielding possession, composure in tight spaces and forward carrying. That assessment dates from June 2025, when he primarily played from left-back; it describes attributes rather than proving his current effectiveness in England's midfield. Clarke's analysis.
There is more recent evidence behind Tuchel's selection. Announcing this squad, the coach pointed to Lewis-Skelly starting Arsenal's Champions League final in midfield and competing for his place there this season. Tuchel on the recall.
Beside Anderson, his appeal is a short passing option who can protect the ball when a marker arrives and carry it beyond that pressure. The condition is coordination: when one midfielder advances, the other must judge whether to support him or secure the space behind him.
Garner offers sustained defensive involvement, with passing alongside it. James Garner finished the 2025–26 Premier League season with the most tackles won, 71, and shared the lead for interceptions, with 59. These totals reflect playing time and Everton's style; they are evidence of sustained involvement rather than a universal ranking of defensive quality. The Premier League's season statistics.
His contribution with the ball deserves attention too. In January, Opta's Matt Furniss identified Garner as Everton's leading player for passes that broke through opposition lines at that point in the season. Furniss's analysis.
An Anderson–Garner pairing therefore has a plausible route to both protection and progression. The selection question is whether it creates the receiving angles England need against this opponent. Adding a proven ball-winner does not automatically make possession more secure.
Scott offers movement in both directions. Opta's analysis of Alex Scott's 2025–26 Bournemouth season recorded 6.1 possession recoveries and 6.86 progressive carries per 90 minutes, defining those carries as moving the ball at least five metres upfield. His appeal is the combination: helping regain possession, then transporting it into a more useful area. Opta Analyst's Scott profile.
A carry can draw an opponent away from a teammate and change the passing options when short passes are being crowded out. Scott's recovery work also gives him a case when England need support around attacks and quick reactions behind them.
The tradeoff is coordination. Two willing runners need agreement about who stays behind the ball. Scott's club evidence supports consideration; it does not establish that an Anderson–Scott partnership would immediately provide more control.
Keep Bellingham's existing job in the calculation
Bellingham's involvement in Gordon's goal and the penalty against Spain demonstrated the value of having him connect with runners and reach dangerous positions himself. Those actions are recorded in the FA's match report above.
Dropping him deeper could add another technically strong receiver. It would also ask England to replace some of his work nearer Kane. That is a tactical exchange, with a cost in the part of the pitch where England need chances.
Our reading of the available options leaves five responsibilities to share:
- Offer the defence a pass and move possession forward: Anderson, with Lewis-Skelly's receiving, Garner's passing through the lines or Scott's carrying offering different routes onward.
- Carry through pressure: Lewis-Skelly or Scott, with cover behind the run.
- Recover possession and protect central routes: Anderson and his partner; Garner has a strong statistical case.
- Connect with the attack and arrive near goal: preserve Bellingham's access to those areas.
- Supply set pieces: allocate separately. Garner offers one option if selected; Tuchel specifically highlighted his delivery when first calling him up in March. Tuchel's assessment of Garner.
These responsibilities overlap. The purpose is to make sure each is covered, rather than assign every action to one player.
What to watch against Czechia
Czechia–England kicks off in Prague at 19:45 BST on Tuesday 29 September. The team selection was still unconfirmed at this article's reporting cutoff. Fixture details.
Tuchel described Czechia's midfield against Croatia as a rotating three, with frequent positional changes and wingers attacking the full-backs. He also acknowledged that his staff had analysed only one game under their new coach. That supports preparing for movement while remaining cautious about declaring a settled Czech style. His opponent assessment.
Santi Denia's remarks after the 2–1 defeat to Croatia emphasised collective defending and effective transitions into attack. For England, the positioning behind their own attacks therefore deserves attention. UEFA's report and reaction.
Watch the midfielder away from the ball when England attack down a flank: is he still protecting a route towards the centre-backs? Watch Anderson's options when he receives under pressure: does he have a nearby teammate and a pass forward? And watch Bellingham: can he help connect play while still arriving where England need him?
Those details will show how well the work is being shared. Rice's absence becomes more manageable when his teammates can perform their own jobs without repeatedly abandoning them to cover somebody else's.
For the wider schedule and the other stories in this camp, read our September international-window guide.
Reporting and data note
This article uses official squad announcements, federation match reports, coaching remarks and dated Premier League/Opta analysis. Match descriptions come from written reports; no independent video analysis is claimed. The role comparisons and proposed division of duties are Oddsivio's interpretation, not confirmed coaching instructions. Club statistics describe different environments and periods, labelled in the text, and are not a like-for-like ranking of England's options. This is a pre-match snapshot checked on 29 September 2026; the Czechia lineup was not confirmed at the reporting cutoff.