I’m hurting” – Declan Rice Responds To Iceland Defeat Ahead Of Euro 2024
Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice admitted he was “hurting” after the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 preparations ended with a disappointing 1-0 loss to Iceland at Wembley. The £105m player was one of several key figures reintroduced to the starting lineup following Monday’s 3-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina, where Gareth Southgate’s team took some time to find their rhythm.
Once again, England faced a defensive Iceland side, which lined up with every player behind the ball during England’s attacks, a strategy that proved highly effective.
The hosts’ central players struggled to break through, and in the 12th minute, Iceland quickly transitioned from defense to attack, creating a chance for Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson to score past Aaron Ramsdale at his near post, resulting in the game’s only goal.
England showed a lack of high pressing both for Iceland’s goal and throughout the match. The visitors, who managed to take several shots from the edge of the box and send multiple long balls over the top, could have easily won by a larger margin.
Rice ‘taking the positives’ ahead of Euro 2024 England’s disappointing friendly loss came eight years after their infamous 2-1 defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016, considered one of their most humiliating results. Rice acknowledged that he and his teammates need to be more “savvy” at this year’s championships.
“Inside I’m hurting, there’s work to be done. When you have that much of the ball, a couple of clear-cut chances, and lose 1-0 at home just before the Euros, it’s not ideal. But I’m going to take the positives,” Rice told englandfootball.com.
“There were a lot of promising performances; we played with good tempo and always tried to play forward. We have to be a little more savvy. It’s not ideal that we lost, but there are valuable lessons we can build on as a team.
“We were a bit exposed with our press and not as compact as usual. Every game is another chance to get better, and we’re going to be more than ready for Serbia.”
Winger Anthony Gordon, one of England’s main threats in the first half, echoed Rice’s optimism, adding: “It didn’t go the way we wanted, but it’s about the bigger picture.”
“It’s great practice for us. That’s likely how teams will play against us, so the more we face such setups and learn to break them down, the better prepared we’ll be for the tournament.
“We lacked quality in the final third. We did well controlling the game and pinning them back, but a lack of quality in the final third let us down.”
How concerning was England’s performance against Iceland? Registering just one shot on target against the world’s 72nd-ranked nation might cause some to panic, especially since Southgate was able to field most of his top players at Wembley.
The game could have turned out very differently had Harry Kane not missed a clear opportunity in the first half. However, England’s midfield was sometimes non-existent, and without Harry Maguire, they lacked a primary threat from set-pieces.
Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Trent Alexander-Arnold are expected to return to the starting lineup for England’s Euro 2024 opener against Serbia on June 16. Yet, it’s difficult to justify England’s status as tournament favorites after such a performance.
