Declan Rice is proof that it’s hard finding love as a CDM. However, during the second half against Germany, West Ham’s finest made all the difference.
At just 22-years old, Declan Rice has shown more mental stability and fortitude than most world-class midfielders in their 30s. The West Ham man surely would’ve loved to get back the first ten minutes of the match, as would everyone watching at the time.
Just eight minutes in, and Rice was booked with a yellow card at a very inconvenient time. At that point, it would’ve very easy for him and the rest of the squad to get their heads down and shut down; thankfully, that didn’t happen. In fact, it was the complete opposite.
You won’t find Declan Rice on any of the stat sheets or man of the match polls, but where you will find him is exactly where he needs to be. There is always love lost for a good CDM, and Rice is no different. He will surely get flack again for not wowing the crowd, but he did just the job Southgate asked him to do.
West Ham: Declan Rice’s second-half turned the tide for the Three Lions
According to WhoScored.com, Declan Rice finished the match with a 7.25 rating. Rice finished the match with the 5th best rating of either side, just behind Sterling, Kane, Maguire, and Stones. Deccers also finished the match, besting a few legends from the German squad.
Compared to his fellow midfielders on the Deutschland side (Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller), Rice put on a clinic. Rice held more of the possession than Muller with 4.3%, and he finished with more tackles, four, and a higher passing percentage, 95%, than both of them. This matchup started as an opportunity to see how he would fare against world-class opposition, and he passed with high marks all around.
Besides the mental toughness and the solid midfield stats, Rice also showed up with a much-needed piece of aggression towards the end of the match. Even though he was on a yellow card already, Rice came on the offense and pushed Germany back well into their side of the half. He finished the sequence pumping up the crowd just minutes before England’s clinching goal.