As West Ham fans we can sometimes watch Declan Rice’s England performances with rose-tinted glasses so we have summarised reviews from non-West Ham supporting media as to his performance last night.
Adrian Durham Talk Sport: “My opinion on Declan Rice is that he is one of the best readers of the game in his position in the Premier League…without Rice last night it could have easily ended up 5-5. Vital player in my opinion and I can understand why he’s an England regular.”
Guardian: “The 20-year-old kept Celina quiet, but his sloppy pass led to Berisha making it 5-2. Rating 6″
Sky Sports: “Promising, but far from the finished article. He put in another solid showing, protecting his back four with great authority and breaking up play at key moments to start England counter attacks that define Southgate’s philosophy. One of his crunching tackles in midfield set Sterling on his way to set Sancho up for England’s third goal. However, the West Ham man was at fault for Kosovo’s second goal – a lapse in concentration with his passing that was punished. Rating 6”
Daily Express: “Not his best performance. Shaky start and gave the ball away several times – at fault for Kosovo’s second goal. Rating 6″
Daily Mirror: “Really good performance, slightly marred by mistake which led to a goal. Rating 7”
No Mr Express, he did not give the ball away several times; he gave it away once. I appreciate he may have done so when I blinked but I’d prefer to see the official stats as I’m sure I’m right. How many times did Barkley and Henderson get robbed, yet I don’t see anyone dissing them.
I think you’re right, Sean, about us watching him through rose-tinted spectacles! I know I do, and will his every move to be a quality one. It’s frustrating me a little that he isn’t looking for a forward pass more regularly, but I get that I’m an armchair fan, and he’s an England international, so his decision-making perhaps isn’t for me to question. His interceptions and steals from the feet of opposition attackers at crucial times was a sight to behold, and I think he has (and we have) a lot to be proud of.