THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Rice and Hudson-Odoi dazzle on first starts
THERE was something symbolic about Joe Cole handing Declan Rice and Callum Hudson- Odoi their England match jerseys last night.
Cole, his generation’s original wonderkid, knows about coping with teenage hype.
So it was fitting that the recently retired England international played a part in the biggest night of Rice and Hudson-Odoi’s fledgling careers.
Rice, of course, navigated his way through the same academy as Cole. West Ham always believed Cole was destined for the top. They were right, though some might argue he never fully fulfilled his potential.
Their belief in Rice is just as profound. The fact that Gareth Southgate chose last night to give the 20-year- old his first international start suggests the England manager’s faith in the young central midfielder is equally strong.
Rice has already made 63 senior appearances at domestic level for the Hammers. Nothing, however, quite prepares for playing for England away from home.
Yet Rice took the night in his stride. There were signs of early jitters, his first touch of the game was heavy — Harry Maguire quickly on the scene to bail out his team-mate.
It was minor blip, though, on what was largely an impressive debut. Rice’s technical ability has never been in question, but it’s his mentality that sets him apart.
Unfazed and unruffled, Rice sat in front of England’s back four like he’d been playing there for years. Disciplined when he needed to be, expansive when the opportunities arose. His reading of the game and positional sense defies his age. With every successful pass, you felt his confidence grow. Within five minutes he was ordering his team-mates about — urging Michael Keane to pass the ball quicker and Maguire to give him the ball.
When Keane mistimed a header in the eighth minute, Rice was on hand to nullify any danger.
Here was England’s new midfield general. After the furore over his switch to England — having made three senior appearances for the Republic of Ireland — and the controversy of his infamous pro-IRA posts on social media, it is clear Rice believes he has found his international home.
Hudson- Odoi found his full England debut just as productive — a direct assist for Ross Barkley’s goal helping England overcome that tricky opening.
The Chelsea youngster’s ability to breeze past opposing full backs at will was a key feature of England’s comeback last night.
Likewise, when raiding off the left wing, his capacity to cut inside on to his preferred right foot before a striking at goal is a potent weapon. Well done Southgate, for instructing Hudson- Odoi to switch flanks with Raheem Sterling.
Yet the cut-throat nature of international football cannot be forgotten.
One mistake, one lapse can cost you, as Hudson-Odoi discovered when losing a header and failing to track his runner in the lead up to Montenegro’s goal. That part of HudsonOdoi’s game will develop.
‘It’s perfectly understandable (Hudson- Odoi’s role in the Montenegro goal), when you’re 18 years old there’s a lesson to learn,’ said former England striker Ian Wright. ‘What you want from your winger is to read the danger. He’s going to learn his lesson. Just jump, knock him. Make it hard. You don’t have to be great in the air.’
It’s important to point out that Rice and Hudson- Odoi are at different stages of development. Hudson-Odoi hasn’t even made a Premier League start yet.
Hudson- Odoi remains raw but supremely talented and a stint with the Under 21s during the European Championship in Italy this summer will benefit the Chelsea youngster. As would a club manager who trusts him. His time to be an England regular will come. Rice is England’s present as well as the future.