Gary Neville has explained why Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was a 'massive problem' for England at the World Cup. The former Manchester United defender believes Rice, one of the most important members of Thomas Tuchel's squad, was only half-fit and suffered a bout of sickness during the knockout stages.
Neville's Assessment of Rice's Fitness
Speaking on The Peter Crouch Podcast, Neville said: 'For me, not having Declan Rice in the tournament which has effectively been the case… not having him is a massive problem. Declan Rice fit and flying and running all over everybody… [Elliot] Anderson has been in there in that midfield pretty much on his own at times. I love Declan to bits and he's our best midfielder by a mile, but he's been nowhere near it physically in the tournament.'
England's World Cup Performance
England were dreaming of ending 60 years of hurt in the United States but suffered a semi-final defeat to Argentina. Tuchel's side took the lead against Argentina but conceded two late goals in a heartbreaking loss. Despite the setback, England secured their best World Cup finish since 1966 by winning the third-place play-off against France. Neville admitted he never expected England to reach the final, saying: 'The biggest positive from England's point of view was getting to a semi-final. If you told me before the tournament that England would get to the semi-final I would have snapped your hand off. The squad he picked, I didn't think it could get past the semi-finals and that's what happened.'
Rice's Reaction to the Semi-Final Defeat
Rice, who was 'gutted' about the semi-final loss, expressed pride in his England teammates after securing third place. The Premier League title winner said: 'This is the best England group for a very long time. That's a fact. No-one can take that away from us. I think we can be proud as a group – we are just gutted we lost in that semi-final. We're tired of saying we're proud of coming in semi-finals and quarter-finals – we want to win with England ultimately. But to come third in this tournament is a real achievement. We're so close, honestly. I think we need to keep going. It's a game of small margins.'
Other Player Performances
Neville also praised other England players, noting: 'Jude [Bellingham] has been unbelievable, Harry's [Kane] goalscoring the same. [Djed] Spence is a positive, he's proven he can play at this level and defend one vs one.' England's semi-final opponents Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup final after the European champions knocked out France.
