Declan Rice has declared that England will adopt the same defiant "it's not done" mentality that spurred Arsenal to their first Premier League title in 22 years as they enter the World Cup knockout stage. The midfielder's catchphrase, which he mouthed after Arsenal's defeat to Manchester City in April, proved a turning point for the Gunners, and Rice now insists the England squad must embrace that mindset to navigate a tough path to the final.
England Face DR Congo in Atlanta Knockout Opener
Thomas Tuchel's side begin the knockout phase against DR Congo in Atlanta, with Rice warning that anyone expecting an easy victory is mistaken. Despite topping their group, England's performances have been far from convincing, and Rice acknowledges a shift in mood is essential if they are to progress through potential ties in Mexico City and a quarter-final against Brazil.
When asked if the "it's not done" mentality is needed, Rice said: "100 per cent. Looking at our next opponent, it's going to be a really tough game. And looking at the potential route of what could happen, it's going to be really, really tough games to the final. Like what you said there, there's definitely going to be moments of that. There's going to be moments where we're going to have setbacks in games. And there's going to be moments where we have to get through games in tough periods. This is a World Cup. The best teams are left, the best players are left and the World Cup could throw up surprises so for sure we have to be on our game, 100 per cent."
Rice Reflects on 'It's Not Done' Catchphrase
Rice admits that the "it's not done" message could have gone horribly wrong but now serves as a timely reminder when things do not go to plan. "It could have gone either way! That would have lived with me forever!" he smiled. "Luckily it went the way I wanted it to be perceived, even though it was crazy how that all came about. I think there are going to be moments like that between now and the rest of the tournament where you're going to have setbacks in games, there's going to be games where there are going to be shocks and we need to be ready for everything that comes."
He added: "It's hard to explain it. You guys (the media) understand it but to a neutral, when you look at the quality of an England side and the quality that we have across the whole squad, you would say, 'Right, how are we not scoring four or five?' But sometimes in football, Ghana were incredibly well-drilled, even Panama the other night. The boss was saying they're the same ranking as Wales and Serbia, they're not terrible opposition. They've got really good quality and had really good passages of play, really good on the counter. It's down to us to break down these low blocks and to be patient. But I think the real key is if you can get an early goal in games against low blocks, I think that's when you'll see teams start to open up. It's tough but this is the World Cup, teams are here to win. I understand the heat, I understand how teams have a way of playing against us, and anything to win, I suppose."
Arsenal Core Brings Title-Winning Mentality to England
Rice is ready for a change in mentality with the pressure of knockout games, and the presence of four Arsenal players in the squad—himself, Noni Madueke, Bukayo Saka, and Eberechi Eze—means they have winners who bought into that "it's not done" mindset. "I think now it probably changes the mentality. If you break up the tournament into little blocks, in terms of the first block, which is the group stage. And then now's the start of knock-outs, you need to look at these two blocks of games, that are going to be really tough against really good opposition, and teams that want to beat England. We're going to be really motivated to want to get through and continue to push on," he said.
"There's more Arsenal players here than probably there's ever been, to be honest with you. I think in terms of the way we play, the Arsenal boys, and the way we connect on the pitch, it's like a real good connection between us when we're all on the pitch. We understand each other really well, but also here I feel like every lad's at a top club, everyone has different ways of playing, but we all kind of understand each other on the pitch. I feel like so far, we haven't had to defend as much as we are probably going to have to face in the knockout rounds, but we've been trying to attack and threat teams, even though the goals haven't come in the second and third games as much as we wanted. I feel like that connection is just going to keep coming, not only between me and the Arsenal boys, but between everyone. I feel like now the knockouts come, you're going to keep seeing the best versions of everyone."
