Declan Rice acknowledged the schedule has been “crazy” and that he has played an “obscene” number of matches for club and country
Declan Rice has insisted he is prepared to put his “body on the line” and deliver his best form at the World Cup. Rice acknowledged the schedule has been “crazy” and that he has played an “obscene” number of matches for club and country, with his appearance in England’s Group opener against Croatia representing his 63rd of the season.
The Arsenal midfielder was forced off in Dallas and conceded he has been managing a hamstring problem since Christmas, which must raise questions over his fitness for the tournament. Rice is not alone in this regard, as his Arsenal team-mate Bukayo Saka is also carefully managing his fitness due to a persistent Achilles issue, highlighting the extraordinary physical demands placed on top-level players.
However, Rice is adamant that he is fit, primed to play and wants to start every game, including the next group stage encounter with Ghana in Boston on Tuesday. Rice told ITV: “You get on with it. Obviously, it’s an obscene amount of games.
“The schedule is crazy but what can we do about it? You can’t sit and complain. We have to just get on with it for the moments like I had in the Premier League winning that Premier League.
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“You know you’d play as many games as possible to have that feeling again. And knowing there’s a World Cup at the end of it as well. You know you’d put your body on the line to be here always and to play. It’s a lot of games, but we’ll get our break at the end.
“It’s obviously still on me on the day to go out there and perform. And that’s the thing with football, you go into a game, you always hope that the best version of you can turn up. But it’s like, you’re a bit like a tennis player or a golfer sometimes.
“Sometimes you have your game, sometimes you don’t have your game. You’re constantly trying to find your best levels and I’ve managed to do that for a lot of periods of this season. And obviously, I want to bring that into the World Cup.”
Rice was withdrawn after 72 minutes against Croatia, and caution will be required regarding his back complaint, which could clearly impact his mobility and hamstrings. Yet Rice is the sort of player who thrives on action and abhors inactivity.
Even following Arsenal’s title celebrations, when Rice and several teammates enjoyed a night out, he was on the golf course the very next morning on minimal sleep.
Rice said: “Obviously been blessed and fortunate enough to have played in as many games as I can so far in my career – an insane amount of games for my age. I just love playing football. I love being durable.
“I love having that rhythm of playing three games a week at club. I wouldn’t like playing once a week, having to wait until another week until the next matchday. I like to keep the momentum going, and I’ve always been like that throughout my career, so it’s just come natural to me.
“I’m ready, I’m fit, raring to go. I think it was a smart decision to come off. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time.
“Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind the scenes stuff. That last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a seventy minute match.
“But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going through it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
The situation mirrors that of Saka, yet Rice harbours no uncertainty that his colleague and friend can equally make a significant contribution at this tournament. Rice added: “Hundred per cent. I think it’s really good the way we’re managing him.
“I think the amount of football he’s played, I’ve seen him at Arsenal with this little Achilles problem he’s got. I think we’re managing him the right way for sure. I don’t think you wanna put him in straight away now and put him at risk, when he’s been building them in, he’s been training really well.
“He came on and had an amazing impact the other night, but B is being one of them. Play with and he wants to play every game, but here he’s being smart. And we also have Noni who, for me, has been unbelievable in these opening games.”
Rice also claims he has discovered the “perfect” midfield partner in Elliot Anderson. England’s central midfield has gelled superbly and Thomas Tuchel now regards the duo as his preferred pairing.
Arsenal midfielder Rice believes they complement each other brilliantly despite sharing similar characteristics, with their understanding proving crucial in challenging fixtures. When questioned about Anderson, Rice told ITV: “Some player really, really good from the moment he came into this England squad. Gone up levels, confidence levels on the ball. So energetic, can play all three roles in midfield.
“I think if I was facing him, I’ve faced him, he’s one of those players that’s constantly on the move, and that’s really tough for a midfielder. He always wants the ball in the right areas, and he always makes those killer passes. He’s a great lad as well. I have a lot of respect for him.
“I think he’s exactly what we need. He suits how Tuchel wants to play perfectly. I love playing with him; we’re similar profiles in a way, but we really bounce off each other.
“We speak about our connections, how we want to play off each other, and constantly, even in training, we’re building little small things. So it’s good.”
Rice also maintains that the duo were capable of imposing themselves on the Croatia fixture – despite facing pressure at various points. He added: “Of course, I think for sure you in big games, you want to control the ball. But there’s always spells in football matches, teams always get their ten or 15 minutes in games.
“So you’ve got to be smart in all phases of play and I feel like with playing next to him, he understands the game so well that if we haven’t got the ball, I’m going to be compact and tight, but when we do have the ball I’m going to get on it and try and make things happen.”
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