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Thomas Tuchel has revealed that he replaced Declan Rice at half-time to allow England to adopt a more attacking approach during their World Cup quarter-final clash against Norway.

Rice, along with winger Noni Madueke, was withdrawn at the interval during England’s 2-1 extra-time triumph over Norway, a result that secured the Three Lions a semi-final showdown with Argentina.

The Arsenal midfielder had been unwell in the lead-up to the fixture in Miami and was also managing a hamstring concern.

The 27-year-old missed England training sessions and was kept away from his teammates after contracting a viral illness ahead of the match.

When asked about his decision to substitute Madueke and Rice, Tuchel told talkSPORT: “I wanted Bukayo on the pitch to help finish the game. I wasn’t satisfied with Noni’s display.

“It was a one-on-one situation and we needed to be more attacking. I made the call while we were 1-0 behind.

“I didn’t want to reverse the decision just because we equalised. I wanted to send a message that we intended to attack more aggressively. That meant removing a midfielder.

“We knew Declan wasn’t at full strength. He gave the go-ahead to continue, maybe until the next water break, but I felt that if the match went to 120 minutes and Elliot wasn’t on, we’d face issues with substitutions later.

“So we made a tough call to take Declan off, which ultimately paid off, as Elliot could stay on for the full 120 minutes. Otherwise, we would have been in trouble.”

Tuchel admitted that he wasn’t entirely pleased with England’s overall display, though he praised the team’s resilience and character.

The German coach said: “I have mixed emotions about the performance. Part of me is immensely proud of the players, their mentality, and their spirit in overcoming adversity and the constant momentum swings in the match.

“We never stopped believing and stayed focused throughout. The substitutes once again made a huge impact.

“At the same time, I felt the quality of football wasn’t at the highest level from either side, and we could have executed better in several situations.

“I need to strike a balance because I don’t want to spoil the celebration, but as a football coach, I still feel it’s fair to say I’m not entirely satisfied with the performance.”

He continued: “We were fortunate at certain key moments. For instance, near the end of the first half, we lost possession at a crucial time and were 1-0 down.

“We were lucky not to be trailing 2-0 soon after that. Even though the decision was correct, we benefited from the opponent’s disallowed goal.

“You need a bit of luck when such big moments go your way, and we certainly had that. There’s nothing wrong with admitting it.

“Overall, I believe we deserved the win beyond doubt, but we made things difficult for ourselves along the way.”