West Ham’s Rice flies under the radar in England win
By Louis Pye
After England got their Euro 2021 campaign off to a winning start, West Ham’s Declan Rice quietly yet assuredly went about his business in the middle of the park.
The Three Lions made many a West Ham happy, as they managed to see off Croatia – the team who beat them in the 2018 World Cup semi-final – as Raheem Sterling scored a second-half winner in front of a Wembley crowd.
England boss Gareth Southgate was always expected to start Rice at the base of his midfield. Still, many were surprised when he named Kalvin Phillips to play alongside him, arguing that it was likely to be too defensively-minded.
In fairness to the manager, however, it did prove to be a masterstroke as Phillips didn’t simply sit next to Rice but had the license to roam forward into a more advanced role where he could join in the attacks as well as pressing from the front.
West Ham’s Rice flies under the radar in England win
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Rice played a rather more unselfish role where he stayed back sitting in front of the defense providing insurance to his fellow midfielders, the other of whom was Mason Mount, the area where he spent his time throughout the 90 minutes.
This is slightly different from his role with the Hammers over the past year, where he has revolutionized his game to one where he is able to drive forward with the ball whilst attempting more creative passes.
The trio balance worked extremely well against an experienced and talented Croatia midfield containing the likes of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic as they failed to significantly impact the match both in terms of controlling possession and creating any meaningful chances.
Rice may not have been the standout player for England at Wembley, but his performance provided the platform for others to shine and ultimately lead the Three Lions to an important three points as they look to “bring football home.”
Next. West Ham should look to the Championship to bolster squad. dark
With Scotland up next, it will be interesting to see whether Southgate sticks with the same lineup that proved successful against Croatia or whether he will mix things up to match the respective opposition.