DAcklan Rice reflects on a key moment in his season when many people thought things would go wrong for him and Arsenal. For them it was a narrow and painful defeat to Manchester City in mid-April, which meant that the clubs were one step at a time at the top of the Premier League. The momentum was in City’s favor. Were Arsenal going to lose?
TV cameras caught Rice on the pitch at the Etihad Stadium and his lips were easy to read as he shook his head. “It’s not done yet,” the England midfielder said. This is wrong. Arsenal won all the remaining league matches, finding a way out of the unbearable tension. City did not do this, and Arsenal became champions for the first time since 2004. “It could have gone differently,” Rice says with a smile. “It would stay with me forever.”
It was in the same territory as Steven Gerrard’s “We’re not letting it slip away” comment in 2014 as Liverpool edged closer to the title. This was just before he and he slipped. Imagine memes. “Exactly,” says Rice. “I have enough of them. Luckily it went the way I wanted it to be perceived, although the way it all happened was crazy.”
The fact is, as Rice and England prepare to face the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last 16 of the World Cup in Atlanta on Wednesday, the fact is that in the pursuit of rare achievements, things never run smoothly. There will be stress. There will be doubts and doubters. Excellent margin. Moments when it’s all about resilience. Find a way no matter what.
It feels like this is where England ended up at the World Cup. Rice is certainly one of the three most valuable midfielders in international history – or at least he will be when Elliot Anderson’s £116 million transfer from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City takes place. Rice’s move from West Ham to Arsenal in 2023 cost £105 million. Jude Bellingham’s move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid that summer was valued at £88.5 million; its price, including premiums, could reach £115 million. According to Rice, the trio is ready to break free. All they need are opponents who want to press and fight each other; be proactive. But that didn’t happen in the second and third group matches against Ghana and Panama respectively – and certainly not against Ghana – and no one in the England squad expects much from DRC.
Declan Rice
England fans were relieved when it was revealed that their team would be playing them rather than Senegal. Not only did Senegal beat England in a friendly in Nottingham last June, but they also have a superior reputation. But DRC impressed in the group stage as they drew 1-1 with Portugal and lost by a single goal to Colombia. They made life difficult for both countries before beating Uzbekistan 3-1.
DRC could attract Premier League players such as Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe, Noah Sadiki and Yoan Wissa. England’s first game of the do-or-die tournament could be one of attrition. Rice will draw on his experience at Arsenal because it will be a test of mentality.
“There will be times when we will have setbacks and we will have to work through them,” he says. “It’s going to be tough and we have to be prepared for whatever happens.”
Rice must be tired of the tightly packed defense. Arsenal faced them regularly and their decisions were not always easy on the eyes. They were criticized, and there is a parallel with England. But in discussing themes of realism and sacrifice, Rice knows what it means to achieve ultimate vindication.
Declan Rice: “You have a structure that the coach wants you to play in.” Photo: Bradley Collyer/PA.
“It’s difficult because when you play against low blocks, you have a structure that the coach wants you to play in,” he says. “And sometimes you have to do something for the good of the team, even if you feel like you don’t want to do it because you feel a little stuck. You have to do it because it might help a teammate.”
“When you look at the quality of the whole team you say: ‘Right, how come we don’t score four or five goals?’ But Ghana was incredibly well trained, as was Panama. The boss (Thomas Tuchel) said they were ranked the same as Wales and Serbia; They are not a terrible opposition. We have to break these low blocks and be patient.
“It’s tough, but it’s a World Cup. I understand the heat (in England), I understand how teams can play against us and (that’s) all it takes to win I guess. We’ve got to find ways to continue to counteract that.”
It was a tumultuous period for Rice: the joy and release of the Premier League triumph followed by the heartbreak of Arsenal’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.
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I also struggled with nerve pain in my hamstring. This has been going on since Christmas and he was sent off in the 72nd minute of the World Cup opener against Croatia.
Rice played the full 90 minutes against Ghana but suffered a “dead calf” at the end which “exploded for three days” and led to him missing the Panama game. For the first time since Euro 2020, Rice has not been a starter for England at the tournament – a run of 21 matches.
“It (nerve pain) is weird because you can feel it like you’re sitting there,” Rice says. “It’s not the kind of pain that happens (only) during football. You can sit at home and feel a little pain shooting up your leg. I’ve dealt with it well by trying to rest when I can and prioritizing games. When you play so many (club) games, you don’t train much. It’s just: recovery, games, recovery, games.”
“I played in the Champions League final, had a week with absolutely no legs, during which I didn’t do anything, and then I got back into rhythm. The body went into a bit of a shock. That’s why I started to feel a little pain (against Croatia) because towards the end (of the season) it started to subside. It’s just something I have to continue to deal with. Once this season is over, I’ll rest and make sure I move on to next season.” Fine.
Rice says the calf pull is not an issue and Tuchel will be happy to welcome him back into the squad against DRC after Anderson looked isolated at times against Panama. Bellingham, who played as a boxing No. 8, will return to the No. 10 role. Rice’s relationship with Anderson has developed quickly – they only started playing for England together last September – and he is well placed to advise on the record nine-figure transfers. Rice has gone on record to say that he initially struggled after joining Arsenal.
“We had a great conversation the other day at a hotel in Kansas City,” he says. “We were sitting outside on bean bags. I told Elliott he couldn’t control the price he was offering. But why is he going for that price because he’s been one of the best players in Europe this season. The price is just noise. I said, ‘Go to City, do what you did and you’ll be fine’. Elliott needs the ball and if he doesn’t get it he’ll come at you a little bit. He’s one of the best I’ve played with.”
My World Cup memories: heartbreak in the exam room at England v Brazil 2002 – video
Rice’s confidence always shines through, along with the feeling that he is constantly improving, moving inexorably towards his goals. He remembers being nervous before taking the penalty in Arsenal’s League Cup quarter-final win over Crystal Palace last December, although he did score. When he came out against PSG there was only confidence and decisive execution. If England were to reach penalties in the coming weeks, Rice believes they would be clear favourites. For him, that would be only one way.
“I look at this group now and I don’t think England have ever had a better group of penalty takers,” says Rice. “I look at Harry (Kane), Ivan (Toney), Marcus (Rashford), Anthony Gordon, (Bukayo) Saka. I can take one. Jude too. You hear the statistics about how you need to win the penalty shootout to get to the final or win the tournament, so you know it can happen. We’ll be fully prepared for it.”