In England's 2-1 victory over Norway, Tuchel substituted Rice at halftime. Henry supported Tuchel's decision and said he appreciated his outspokenness. He also believed that the Three Lions manager was equally dissatisfied with Noni Madoueke's performance on the pitch.
Henry said on Fox Sports, "It's a battle of tenacity and the will to win. I've said it before, who craves victory the most? You can see that kind of fighting spirit in Jude Bellingham."
"Bellingham scored, while Harry Kane constantly pressed the ball back, covering for the team, maintaining the tempo, and creating free-kick opportunities. These two players completely carried the England team."
"But you have to acknowledge the performance of both players. Many teams win by luck, but they won the game with their whole heart. England did a great job."
Meanwhile, Tuchel appeared displeased when asked about the team's mentality during a post-match interview with ITV, a reaction Henry considered reasonable.
"I really don't understand the reporter's question. Everyone can see that the team is fighting to the extreme and full of fighting spirit, but the reporter keeps focusing on the mentality. He wanted to talk about the technical aspects of the game. I think he was dissatisfied with Madoueke and the speed of the game's progression, which is why he immediately made personnel changes. Actually, there's no need to ask too many questions; the coach's initiative to make substitutions indicates his dissatisfaction with the team's performance. But the team's fighting spirit is beyond doubt."
I'd like to talk about Tuchel. Being in England, I can see things more clearly from a detached perspective. Your media always talks about the players who weren't selected, but I think everyone should focus on the current team, not the players who weren't on the roster. He's an excellent coach who has led the team to outstanding results.
When asked who else deserved praise besides Bellingham and Kane, Henry replied, "Tuchel. He substituted Declan Rice at halftime, a decision most coaches wouldn't make, regardless of the reasons behind it. He dared to make that adjustment. One thing I admire about him is his outspokenness. When the team's performance falls short of expectations, he has the right to express his dissatisfaction."
I want to say that although I'm not English, I can empathize with their fighting spirit, which is a consistent characteristic of English football. When I lived in England, fans always complained that the teams lacked this kind of fighting spirit, but now this team's attitude and fighting spirit resonate with people. Hopefully, the team can refine their technical details, but the long-lost fighting spirit has returned. I've lived in England for many years and I know this quality very well; at least the fans are happy to see this team never give up.
When asked about his decision to substitute Rice at halftime, Tuchel admitted that the Arsenal midfielder had been bedridden this week due to illness.
"For Declan, we made adjustments at halftime, focusing on attack and shifting our tactical focus forward. When the team was down 1-0, I made the substitutions, and even after we equalized, I didn't want to change my decision. This was to send a signal to the whole team: when facing Norway's deep defense, we need to position ourselves further forward, increase the connection between players, and get closer to the opponent's penalty area."
So we brought on Eze and Bukayo Saka on the right flank, which required replacing Elliott Anderson or Declan. Rice has been bedridden for most of the past three days, and I know he won't last 90 minutes; the game could potentially go into 120 minutes. I didn't want to waste a substitution, so I took Rice early to allow for more substitutions later in the game.”
