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England do not get the credit they deserve for their performances, according to Three Lions midfielder Declan Rice.
As reported by BBC Sport, Rice believes England have been ‘faultless’ in Qatar so far, and that other nations will now be starting to fear Gareth Southgate’s side.
England topped Group B with two wins and a draw from their three matches, before defeating African champions Senegal in the round of 16.
Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka were on the scoresheet in the 3-0 victory on Sunday, with Jude Bellingham shining in midfield.
Rice: England don’t get the credit they deserve
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West Ham’s Rice has started every 2022 World Cup game for England so far, and is of the opinion that other nations should want to avoid his side at all costs.
England’s victory over Senegal has set up a quarter-final meeting with France, who defeated Poland 3-1 in their round of 16 tie.
“I don’t think we get the credit we deserve in our performances,” said Rice. “If you look at other teams, like the Netherlands and Argentina, they win their games comfortably and they get called ‘masterclasses’.
“With us, it always gets picked off. The negative things always come that way. If you look at the last couple of games, it’s been faultless. I think countries should be starting to fear us now because we’re a great team.”
Three Lions silencing critics at both ends
Rice also touched on the scrutiny that England faced before the tournament in Qatar, with many questioning their abilities at both ends of the pitch. Gareth Southgate’s side headed to Qatar on a six-game winless run, which included relegation from the UEFA Nations League.
But they have found their feet at the World Cup, and have now scored 12 goals in four games, their joint-most at a major tournament, level with the 2018 World Cup. They also boast three consecutive clean sheets, their best run in the tournament since 1982.
“Going into the tournament, there was a lot of talk that we don’t score enough goals,” said Rice. “That’s another one we’ve kept people quiet on.
“There was a lot of scrutiny around the defence and conceding goals, but it’s been solid. We’re going to keep building and pushing.”
England ready for Kylian Mbappe test
England now have the challenge of keeping PSG and France star Kylian Mbappe quiet in the quarter-finals. The forward leads the goalscoring charts in Qatar with five.
His compatriot Olivier Giroud has three, but so do England forwards Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka, and both Rice and teammate Eric Dier believe the Three Lions have nothing to fear.
“These are the games we want to play in,” said Rice. “They only come around once. England versus France, quarter-final – it doesn’t get bigger than that.
“I’m sure the world will be watching. We really want to progress. There’s no point buzzing [about victory over Senegal] if we can’t push on and beat France.”
Speaking about the last eight tie on Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur defender Dier said: “When you get to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, everyone is going to be very good. It is to be expected.
“No one will fear anyone. They’re a great team with very great players – but so are we.”
Good morning! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/gEt7wWyjNY
— England (@England) December 5, 2022
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