Rice was delighted with England’s display after a ‘rusty’ start to the season against Arsenal
Declan Rice says he felt “back to me” when England beat the Republic of Ireland yesterday after what he described as a rusty start to the season with Arsenal.
Rice scored the first goal and set up Jack Grealish’s second as England won 2-0 in Dublin to open their Nations League campaign in style.
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The midfielder, who played three friendlies for the Republic before switching to England, received a mixed reception at the Aviva Stadium but silenced the naysayers with a stunning display.
“Obviously I came back to Arsenal late,” he said. “To be honest, I didn’t feel 100 percent fit until now. I have been doing my pre-season in the Premier League.
“Today I feel like I have taken a real step forward. I felt like I was coming back to myself, I felt happy, I felt like I could run around the field, I felt very strong.”
Rice was sent off in Arsenal’s last game, Arsenal’s draw with Brighton, and admitted he knew he needed to do well during his time on England duty.
He added: “I feel like I’ve taken another step, which will obviously help me at Arsenal. I felt really good, and I knew I needed to play big, because so far this season obviously I got a red card in the last game and the first two games I was a bit rusty.”
A night to remember @_DeclanRice! 💫 pic.twitter.com/34V7bNBLeD
– England (@England) September 7, 2024
The match in Dublin was England’s first under interim manager Lee Carsley, who took over following Gareth Southgate’s resignation after losing 2-1 to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
And Rice has been impressed with the way the former England Under-21 coach has gone about his job this past week.
“Obviously we had an amazing time with Gareth. Some of the best memories we can imagine. The thing that was missing there is that it is clear that we did not win a single trophy,” he said.
“But with Lee now, I think he’s used to the job well.
“He gave a lot of boys a lot of confidence to play. He looked at Jack [Grealish] today. I think Jack is best when he’s holding his arm and being told how good he is.
“I think Lee did that this week and Jack went there, and when Jack plays with character and confidence he’s one of the best players in the world.
“I think that’s what Lee will continue to bring to this team.”
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