THE DADDY OF
Rice, buoyed by pep-talk from father, urges England to put on stellar show tonight before Euros ENGLAND V 8PM
DECLAN RICE admits this is the final audition and one England players must get right if they are to put on a show this summer.
As ever, he will get a text from his dad Sean before tonight’s game.
He won’t be wishing him to break a leg – certainly not one of his own, at least – but it will be the same no-nonsense pep-talk he has sent his son throughout his career.
“It’s just something my Dad has always been on to me about since I was a kid,” said Rice.
“Still to this day I will still get a text from my Dad before the game, a long paragraph, ‘Start well... talk….always be loud... win the first tackle’ and little pointers.
“That has always been ingrained in me since I was in the academy as a kid, at Chelsea, at West Ham, just, be loud and always help out the
It’s a real chance to go out and make a statement
team.” Rice makes no bones about England needing to have several leading men – not least because of the size of the stage. The clash with Poland is the last competitive game before Euro 2020 and a vital World Cup qualifier to boot.
“Definitely with there not being an international break in April, it is the last chance to go out there and put on a performance,” he said.
“No disrespect to San Marino and Albania but it will be a real step up and closer to opposition who we will face in the Euros. It is a real chance to go out and make a statement and put on a good performance.”
To that end, it is not just about winning according to the 22-yearold West Ham midfielder. It is also
about entertainment – which is why he makes no apology for being starstruck at the cast of players he finds around him.
“You want to entertain, of course,” he said. “The fans want to be entertained. They don’t want to come and watch a boring game these days, they want to see the flair players on the pitch, the attacking players who light it up.
“Even me now, when you are training with these players, you take a step back and you look at the attacking players we have and you’re kind of gobsmacked by the talent they have actually got.
“Even though I’m a West Ham player, I’m always watching the games and people like Phil Foden.
“He’s one, at the moment, who is amazing to watch. The goal the other night that City scored against Borussia Monchengladbach...it was just a breath of fresh air to watch a player do that.
“The way he ran through, it was just so silky. He is an incredible player.”
Undoubtedly very watchable, but can the silver-screen generation succeed where the golden generation failed.
“Now, it’s about going out on to the international stage and putting it into a trophy,” said Rice, who played three friendlies for the Republic of Ireland before opting to represent England.
“There has always been that talk of the golden generation falling but we don’t look too much into that as players. We know we have got quality in the squad and we know we have enough to beat any team in the world.
“It is just about on the day. Can we got out there and perform?”
To be or not to be.