England manager Southgate glad Rice left West Ham
And so it begins… We are now hearing about what a magnificent player Declan Rice has become since leaving West Ham. To be honest, I knew it was coming because the same thing was said about Michael Carrick and a few others too.
The usual narrative is that a new set of skills suddenly manifest themselves once a player is free of the West Ham shackles. I’m used to hearing this nonsense from pundits, but the England manager, who has been selecting Rice for years, should really know better.
England manager Southgate suggested that Rice has bloomed since leaving West Ham
Was nobody paying attention when Rice was controlling games for West Ham? His usual all-around performances would always include tackles, dribbles, shots, long-range passes, and surging runs, so I’m not entirely sure what Declan has supposedly added to his game.
Ironically, despite Southgate’s gushing praise, I’ve seen Rice play much better for West Ham.
Southgate raved about Rice after the Brazil match and said that the Arsenal star has taken his game to the next level since leaving the London Stadium, which is mildly insulting and certainly inaccurate.
Southgate said of Rice, “I thought Declan was outstanding throughout the game. With and without the ball, he showed the next step he’s gone to. He’s a crucial player for us anyway, but he looked totally at home in that environment.”
