England vs Czech Republic: Declan Rice can solve Gareth Southgate’s midfield conundrum

Rice may only be 20 years old, but he already brings the promise of transforming how England play

The missing link for England teams this generation has been a holding midfielder who can pass the ball. But now they finally have one: West Ham United’s Declan Rice.

Drafted into the England squad despite his three senior caps for the Republic of Ireland, Rice is only 20 years old and has started just 43 Premier League games. But he already brings with him the promise of transforming how England play, representing the next step in their development.

For all the progress under Gareth Southgate, the midfield has always been the one area that has held the team back. There was much to admire in the World Cup in Russia last year but they struggled to run games in midfield, not least in the semi-final against Croatia at the Luzhniki. Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard ran out of steam and lost control of the game.

Since then Southgate has tried new options and Ross Barkley and Harry Winks both impressed when England won 3-2 in Seville. But there is still something missing, someone who can sit in front of the back four but also set the tempo of attacks. Someone to help to cut through well-drilled opposition, finding his team-mates in attacking positions. Playing the passes that might not always occur to Henderson or Eric Dier.

Rice is the player who can do this. He has shown that in his performances for West Ham this season, anchoring the team in front of the defence, providing a stability and security in the middle of the park that West Ham have lacked for years. He can break up play but when he gets the ball he knows how to move it quickly on forward.

Speak to those who have worked with Rice since he was a youngster and they say that it was that ability to only need one or two touches that always stood out. There was a view in the West Ham academy that Reece Oxford was more talented, but Rice always had a brisk efficiency on the ball, never taking more time on it that he needed. And that is what he has brought into the first team this season.

Harry Kane has noticed that too when he has come up against Rice in the Premier League. And when he was asked about Rice at his press conference at St George’s Park on Tuesday, he also pointed to how brisk Rice is with the ball. How he takes risks in possession that other players do not.

“The thing I like most about him is that as a defensive midfielder, he looks to play forwards as quickly as possible,” Kane said. “And I think sometimes it is easy for players to play side-to-side and backwards so the completion rate looks good. But with Declan, he wants to go forward and pass it through the lines. He also has a centre-back’s instinct to read the game and know when to drop into the defence. I am a big fan of him and I like the way he plays. Who knows, if he gets his chance I am sure he will be ready.”

Rice has the potential to solve England’s longstanding conundrum (Reuters)

Gareth Southgate has also seen that same comfort on the ball, and when he announced his England squad last week he pointed to that part of Rice’s game.

“We have seen increasing technical and tactical awareness in that midfield position because his first breakthrough into the team was as a centre-back,” Southgate said. “So, we saw some good signs there in a team which were having a tough spell and he had to recover from some mistakes that he made. But he is very comfortable on the ball, he has really good awareness of the position he’s playing at the moment. I think he’s been fundamental to the balance of West Ham’s team and how they’ve wanted to play.”

There is a theory with Rice that he will eventually move back into defence, especially if he moves to a team like Manchester City who might have more technically gifted midfielders than him. But Rice has always said he wants to stay in midfield, something he has reiterated to Kane this week.

“I spoke to him a little bit about it and he said he enjoys where he plays,” Kane said. “I think he said he does not mind playing either but in football you have to be versatile so if the manager wants him to drop in and play there he can do that. He probably prefers defensive mid as he can play forward a bit more. From my point of view, he will stay in that position for most of his career.”

And if Rice is to make that holding midfield position his own for England in the next few years, then few players will benefit more than his centre-forward and captain.