Jose Mourinho does not want Declan Rice starting for England v Ukraine
Jose Mourinho wants Gareth Southgate to rest West Ham ace for England’s remaining Euro 2020 fixtures.
The Three Lions will take on Ukraine on Saturday with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs.
Rice has played in all four games for England this EUROs and has been one of the main reasons why they’re still to concede a goal this season.
In his column for The Sun, Mourinho wrote, “I’m so confident England will beat Ukraine that if I were in charge I would rest both Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips to save them for the semi-final.
“Rice and Phillips have been magnificent so far but look at the way they worked in the last match, and how Declan finished the game completely exhausted and with cramps in his legs.
“Rest Rice and Phillips so they can then play the semi and the final to the maximum potential. But that’s me speaking.”
Does need a rest
Mourinho makes a fair shout. England are expected to dominate possession, so having two holding midfielders can be counterproductive.
While Phillips has played an advanced role as well in this tournament, he is not as creative as the likes of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Mason Mount and Jack Grealish – all of whom could be good options in midfield against a side expected to sit back.
Rice has only recently recovered from an injury so it could be advisable for Southgate to rest him and bring him on in case he’s feeling his alternatives aren’t asserting control over the game.
That said, it’s surprising to see him write off Ukraine like that. Every major tournament has its fair share of upsets and as we saw with France, one bad game against a weaker team could send you packing your bags.
We would want Rice starting and maybe coming off at the break, but we would understand if Southgate rests him for the semi-final provided England go through.
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