talkSPORT pundit fears for England as West Ham United captain Declan Rice goes missing
West Ham captain Declan Rice “struggled” in the loss at Everton and his form is “a real concern” amid a miserable start to the season, says Tony Cascarino.
Despite speculation for the duration of the previous campaign the Hammers kept hold of their star midfielder during the summer after putting a £150million price tag on him.
But with one league win so far this term following the 1-0 defeat at Everton on Sunday (18 September), despite significant investment in the transfer window, David Moyes’ side is a long way short of the standards they set last year and former Republic of Ireland international Cascarino thinks the skipper is a big part of that.
Writing in his column for The Times (19 September) he said: “There are plenty of things to worry West Ham fans right know and Declan Rice’s form is a real concern. They were poor yesterday and it has been telling that their captain has struggled too.
“At the end of last season, and in the summer, we were debating whether he was worth £100 million or more, but now he looks a long way short of the player who was being linked with Manchester City.
“He’s never going to be a statistics man with lots of assists and goals but he normally takes the game by the scruff of the neck, especially when West Ham need him most.
“With Kalvin Phillips injured Rice’s form is a worry for England, two months before the World Cup.”
Rough
Irons fans might well be suspicious of opinions from ex-Millwall and Chelsea players but it cannot be denied that for the most part this season they haven’t been watching the Rice who they are used to.
In the club’s lone Premier League victory so far at Aston Villa on 28 August the 23-year-old suddenly sprung to life late in the game and the player that can drive this team forward was on display.
But that sort of performance has been in the minority this year and while he is not the only part of the set up who questions may be asked of, he is wearing the armband and he is the one apparently worth more than all the others.
Moyes himself needs to be integrating new signings faster considering how some of his old favourites are so off the pace, and fears may be growing that the investment that was badly needed has thrown the Scot after getting so used to working with a well-drilled skeleton crew.
The England squad can turn to the likes of Jude Bellingham in the midfield, but the Irons don’t have that luxury, although it is odd that Flynn Downes has only seen a single minute of Premier League action since his arrival.
Jarrod Bowen, so dangerous last year, is another whose drop off is to the detriment of both West Ham and the Three Lions, and while Moyes can point to some major bad luck over the past couple of months in various areas the results are simply not good enough right now.
Having picked up the first win, and goal, at Villa the next two London derbies against Tottenham and Chelsea saw improved displays that should have seen three more goals and two more points.
That Maxwel Cornet’s late equaliser at Stamford Bridge was ruled out by the VAR to take one of each off the Irons has proven to be extremely damaging, with the interruption to their momentum then compounded by postponements after the death of the Queen.
Everton are a team that Moyes would have expected to beat last season, and he needs a lot more from key players including his captain to turn things around and make that the case again this year.