Declan Rice performance slammed by newspapers after West Ham star disappoints v Germany
Declan Rice played a full 90 minutes on Monday evening as the West Ham star helped England fight back to draw 3-3 with Germany at Wembley.
England entered the dressing room a goal down at half-time, but a chaotic and entertaining final 45 minutes saw the Three Lions take a 3-2 lead before Kai Havertz pounced on a goalkeeping mistake to ensure the points were shared.
It was a mixed bag of performances for Gareth Southgate’s side, with Luke Shaw and Jude Bellingham impressing, while Harry Maguire and Nick Pope will want to bury their heads in the sand.
But what did the English newspapers make of Rice’s performance? Well, it doesn’t make for pretty reading.
The Mirror (27 September, Pg. 50) handed Rice a 6/10 rating and said he was “disciplined in midfield”, but “lost the battle”.
The Evening Standard weren’t much more generous and said Rice “struggled” against Germany’s duo of Ilkay Gundogan and Joshua Kimmich.
The Sun echoed others with a 6/10 rating for Rice, but slated his handling of Jamal Musiala, with the Germany star leaving him “flummoxed” on multiple occasions.
England spot is safe
Even if Rice wasn’t up to his usual standard against Germany, he has nothing to worry about when it comes to getting into the England squad.
Frankly, he’s lightyears ahead of most England midfielders and is one of the first names on Gareth Southgate’s team sheet.
One mediocre performance before the World Cup won’t do anything to threaten his place in the World Cup squad this winter.
With that said, Rice wasn’t even among the worst three performing England players on Monday evening. The West Ham star battled away against an incredibly talented Germany midfield and held his own alongside Bellingham despite being outnumbered in the centre of the pitch on numerous occasions.
With an incredibly fragile defence behind him, Rice had to put in extra yards to cover and protect England’s back three. His defensive work should not go unnoticed as it will be crucial in any big game England face in Qatar.