Football

World Cup 2022: Declan Rice says ‘anything is possible’ for England thanks to one man

World Cup 2022: Declan Rice says ‘anything is possible’ for England thanks to one man

England midfielder Declan Rice says ‘anything is possible’ thanks to manager Gareth Southgate.

The West Ham star believes Southgate’s calmness and how he talks to the players has been key during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

As reported by BBC Sport, Rice noted how high confidence is within the squad, with that confidence largely down to Southgate.

“Our mentality now is fantastic,” said Rice. “We have players that have won trophies year in, year out – so they’ve brought that mentality and installed it to England.

“It’s about the manager too, the way he talks to us. He’s so calm. He emphasises we’re England, we’re just as big as anyone else and we can achieve anything. When you have a manager like that, anything is possible.”

Other teams should be fearing England

Rice also touched on England’s ‘world-class talent’ and how other nations in the tournament should be fearing the Three Lions.

His comments come despite the nation heading into the World Cup on the back of a six-game winless run, which included relegation from their Nations League group.

But England topped Group B in Qatar with two wins and a draw from their three matches, and will take on Senegal in the Round of 16 on Sunday.

Rice has been a key member of the success, playing 90 minutes in both the games against Iran and the USA. The midfielder also started the Wales match, before being replaced by Kalvin Phillips just before the hour mark.

The West Ham man has high ambitions for the tournament, and believes England deserve their title of one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

“Other nations will look at our quality – and why should we not be feared?” said Rice. “If you look at our attacking talent, we have world-class talent. Across the board we have players who have won the biggest trophies.

“It is up to us to prove that. The likes of France have done that. We’re not just here to get into the last 16, we want to go the whole way.”

England

England boss has dilemma ahead of Senegal match

Rice admitted that Southgate has a huge dilemma ahead of the Senegal match, with several players vying for a place in the starting XI.

While Rice’s place in midfield looks secure, the attacking spots are up for grabs, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling all looking to start on Sunday.

Despite this competition for places, Rice believes the England squad are unified, and players are willing to support each other on and off the pitch.

“What is so good about our group here is we are all so supportive of each other,” Rice added. “There is probably a selection headache for the manager but whoever he picks, I know everyone will be rooting for each other. It is a real team effort now.

“I think (the competition) is top level – it’s always nice to know you can bring players on that can instantly change the game. We’ve got world-class players that can do that. In a World Cup you need that.”


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