Declan Rice has vowed to put his body on the line for England at the World Cup, insisting he is ready to bring his A-game despite an exhausting season that saw him play an "obscene" number of matches. The Arsenal midfielder, who was substituted in the 73rd minute of England's 4-2 win over Croatia, admitted he has been managing a lower back issue since Christmas but declared himself fit and raring to go.
Rice's gruelling schedule
Rice revealed that the Croatia match was his 63rd appearance of the season for club and country. Describing the workload as "crazy," he 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."
Despite the demands, Rice is determined to start every game, including England's next group match against Ghana in Boston on Tuesday. "You know you'd play as many games as possible to have that feeling again," he said. "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."
Injury management and recovery
Rice admitted that his substitution against Croatia was a precautionary measure. "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," he explained. "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 midfielder emphasized his love for playing and his durability. "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."
Partnership with Elliot Anderson
Rice also praised his midfield partner Elliot Anderson, describing him as the "perfect" complement. "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," Rice said. "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."
Rice highlighted their growing understanding on the pitch. "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." He added that the duo managed to stamp their authority on the Croatia game despite periods of pressure. "You want to control the ball in big games, but there's always spells in football matches. So you've got to be smart in all phases of play."
Team-mate Bukayo Saka's fitness
Rice also addressed the fitness of Arsenal team-mate Bukayo Saka, who is managing a lingering Achilles problem. "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."
Saka came off the bench against Croatia and made an impact, and Rice has no doubts about his ability to contribute. "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."
