UK newspapers react to Declan Rice performance as West Ham United star plays in 0-0 v USA
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice failed to make an impact for England during their 0-0 draw against the USA in the World Cup game on Friday (25 November).
The general perception shared by major UK newspapers today is that Rice wasn’t spectacular, but he did well in patches.
England have picked up four points from their opening two games, and a draw or a win against Wales in their final group game should be enough to qualify for the next round.
The Daily Mail highlighted that Rice spent a lot of time sitting deep rather than converting the defence into attack.
“Here, in an opening half in which USA were superior, Rice spent too much time in his own defensive third but that was simply due to the flow of the game,” writes Ian Ladyman for The Mail (page 124).
“A player who was once a centre half and may yet end up playing there again one day, he has a defender’s natural instinct when it comes to sniffing danger.
“At times here he was barely a matter of yards from Stones and Maguire, the intention being to offer an escape route from trouble and an immediate option when it came to turning defence in to attack.”
The Daily Mirror (26 November, page 62) has given Rice a 7/10 rating, where they were impressed with his work rate and defensive contributions.
“Shielded defence, worked hard and showed quality amid slopiness,” wrote The Mirror.
The Daily Star (26 November, page 54) notes that Rice did “nothing spectacular”, and gave him a 6/10 rating, as they suggested it was a pretty ordinary performance from the entire team.
“Broke up some moves from USA as they pushed through the middle but nothing spectacular,” notes Daily Star.
Tempo
England were superb in their opening game against Iran, but they looked flat against the USA on Friday.
Rice and Jude Bellingham struggled to impose their authority in midfield, while Leeds United’s Tyler Adams bossed the game in the middle of the park.
It isn’t a bad result though, and the Three Lions can pick themselves up in their next game against Wales and qualify for the Round of 16.
In a big tournament like this, it is important to reserve your best for the later stages. Sometimes teams peak up early and then fail to maintain the same tempo throughout.
Having said that, it was frustrating to see that England hardly created enough clear-cut chances.
Rice was outstanding in the first game and did well here. Yes, it was not spectacular, but he did what was required of him.
At times, he played too deep and felt like operating as a third centre-back. Hopefully, we will see a better performance from him in the next game.