Declan Rice has insisted England must be prepared for an attritional battle against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the World Cup last 32 on Wednesday, drawing on his Premier League title-winning experience with Arsenal to overcome a team expected to sit deep.
Rice fit to face DR Congo after injury issues
The England midfielder has been managing a nerve problem in his hamstring since Christmas, which forced him off against Croatia in the World Cup opener after 72 minutes. He also missed the group-stage win over Panama due to a calf issue. However, Rice confirmed he is fit to return against DR Congo in Atlanta. “It’s not a pain that happens just during football. You could be sat at home and you’d feel a little pain shoot up your leg,” he said. “I’ve managed it in a good way, trying to get my rest when I can and prioritising games.”
England face defensive challenge
England struggled to break down low blocks in their second and third group matches against Ghana and Panama, scoring only two goals combined. Rice acknowledged the difficulty, noting that DR Congo are likely to employ a similar approach. “When you look at the quality that we have across the whole squad, you would say: ‘Right, how are we not scoring four or five?’ But Ghana were incredibly well drilled and so were Panama,” he said. “The boss [Thomas Tuchel] was saying they’re the same ranking as Wales and Serbia; they’re not terrible opposition. It’s down to us to break down these low blocks and to be patient.”
Drawing on Arsenal title mentality
Rice pointed to his experience with Arsenal last season, when they won the Premier League title after a narrow defeat at Manchester City in April. The midfielder was caught on camera saying “It’s not done” after that loss, and Arsenal went on to win all remaining league games. “It could have gone either way,” Rice said. “That would have lived with me for ever.” He added: “There’s going to be moments where we have setbacks, where we have to get through. It’s going to be tough and we need to be ready for everything that comes.”
Advice for Anderson on record transfer
Rice also revealed he has given advice to teammate Elliot Anderson, who is set to join Manchester City from Nottingham Forest for a British-record £116m. “We had a great chat the other day at the hotel in Kansas City,” Rice said. “I said to Elliot that he can’t control the price he’s going for. But why he’s going for that price is because he’s been one of the best players in Europe this season. The price tag is just noise. I said: ‘Go to City, do what you’ve been doing and you’ll be fine.’”
Penalty shootout confidence
Rice expressed confidence in England’s penalty-taking ability, suggesting they would be heavy favourites if a shootout arises. “I look at this group now and I don’t think there’s a better crop of penalty-takers that England have probably ever had,” he said, citing Harry Kane, Ivan Toney, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, and himself. “You hear the stat about how you have to win a penalty shootout to get to a final or win the tournament, so you know that might come along. We’re going to be fully prepared for that.”
