Chris Sutton raves about West Ham United star Declan Rice ahead of England v France
Chris Sutton believes that the battle between West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice and Antoine Griezmann will be one of the “key” clashes to watch out for.
England will face France in the World Cup quarter-final game on Saturday [10 December], and Rice is expected to shake off his illness and start in midfield.
Writing for the Daily Mail, Sutton has hailed Rice as “exceptional” when it comes to his awareness to intercept and adds that Griezmann could struggle to track back the England midfielder if he makes a darting run.
“Griezmann drifts from side to side and finds spaces between the opposition lines to receive the ball,” wrote Sutton for The Daily Mail (10 December, page 111).
“He then feeds France’s rapid runners. It will be on Rice to stop that supply line. Thankfully that’s one of the strongest parts of his game — his awareness of when to intercept is exceptional.
“One concern for France with Griezmann is how the 31-year-old can be lazy tracking back. When Rice is driving forward, don’t expect to see Griezmann in tow.”
High hopes
Rice didn’t train in the past few days due to illness, but it seems he has recovered fully ahead of this game.
It remains to be seen how Gareth Southgate lines up against France – will he start with a three-man midfield or change his system?
Whatever it is, Rice is definitely going to start, and his battle against Griezmann will be fascinating to watch.
The reigning World champions are heavily reliant on Kylian Mbappe, but Griezmann has the quality to hurt England.
The problem is Griezmann has not been in the best of form and he has looked like a shadow of the player he was a few years back.
Rice has been brilliant in the World Cup so far, but even he knows, he needs to raise his game against a quality side like France.
Apart from his defensive work, Rice has developed the habit of carrying the ball to the opposition half with a surging run. Let’s hope he makes important contributions today and help his country win this vital game.