Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has now sent a message to the press following England’s uninspiring start to Euro 2024.
England have endured an underwhelming start to their Euro 2024 campaign.
The Three Lions kicked off with a narrow 1-0 win against Serbia, in which they were under pressure for much of the game.
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka was able to provide an assist for Jude Bellingham early on, but the longer the game went on, the more Serbia grew into the encounter. Gareth Southgate’s side sat back, surrendering control and territory, and were perhaps fortunate to escape with all three points in tow.
The nation’s second match followed a similar pattern. Again, Arsenal fans felt that Saka showed flashes of quality against Denmark, and England were able to go ahead. On this occasion, though, they were pegged back.
The game against Denmark became a scrappy affair in the middle of the park, where Declan Rice struggled to progress his side up the pitch, as there were so few teammates ahead of him to provide an outlet.
The English press were critical of Rice for his performance in this match, and the Arsenal man was far from his best, but Southgate’s tactics also hindered him to a great extent.
Rice has now responded to the media with a statement.
Declan Rice demands that British press get behind Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka in support of England at Euro 2024
There has been plenty of negativity surrounding the England team in recent days. Players have been criticised, the manager questioned, and mistakes poured over.
Crucially, though, England remain in the competition and are top of their group. Performances have been poor, but results have just about been good enough to spare them so far, offering the opportunity for improvement and redemption.
Rice has now told the media to be more positive. Speaking to ITV, the 25-year-old said: “Let’s have some positivity going into games. Let’s give players, you know, the best confidence in the world. Players like your Phil Fodens, your Sakas, your Jude Bellinghams.
“Tell them they’re the best players in the world. Make them read that and think ‘I’m going to go out there and perform and give it absolutely everything.’ Rather than reading the negative comments.”
Arsenal winners and losers at Euro 2024
Mikel Arteta will be keeping a close eye on goings on at Euro 2024, hoping that his Arsenal stars that are involved in the competition can perform well, and crucially, avoid injury.
In this week’s episode, Will Jones and Rahul Lakhani discussed the first few days of the European Championships. With Arsenal players such as Kai Havertz and Kieran Tierney experiencing mixed starts to the tournament, the pair assessed which Gunners were the winners and losers from the group stages so far.
There was some talk about transfers based off the Euros, with Arsenal-linked Amadou Onana’s display for Belgium discussed, whilst Leandro Trossard’s poor performance was analysed, and Bukayo Saka’s sensational England showing lauded.