Rice rise continues but Marko is the man

ANOTHER week rolls by and still no news on Declan Rice’s international future.

He did say he wanted to concentrate on his football at West Ham, and that was certainly to his credit last weekend. He was excellent at Everton.

Everything he did was neat and tidy, he rarely gave the ball away and playing at the base of the three midfielders, he hardly put a foot wrong.

The outstanding Hammers’ player, however, was Marko Arnautovic and his fitness is absolutely vital if they are to stand a chance against Chelsea today.

He received a deserved standing ovation from the travelling support when he went off injured in the 64th minute last weekend.

Criticised sometimes for his lack of effort at Stoke, that is not an accusation that can be thrown at the Austria striker now. His work-rate and desire is what you need from your No.9, especially when you are at the wrong end of the table and cannot afford passengers. He is anything but.

He was harassing defenders and when West Ham were in possession he was not just standing still but prepared to run behind.

He has already scored three goals this season and got 11 in the last campaign. When you see games on television, it is often impossible to appreciate how much work a player can put into a game. I have seen West Ham live three times this year and Arnautovic’s industry is off the charts. He is vital to West Ham.