England midfielder Declan Rice demands more credit from the press and the fans for their displays in Qatar so far. The West Ham star noted that his team suffered no shock defeats in the tournament, unlike high-flyers France and Argentina.Gareth Southgate’s team beat Iran and Wales easily – with the draw with the United States the only blip. According to Rice, his team should at least get some praise for securing the highest group-stage point tally since the 2006 edition of the World Cup.”You can’t take anything for granted. That’s why we’re doing so well and maybe why we are not getting the credit we deserve. It could have been banana skins for us in any of the three games, but we’ve done well in all of them. We’ve seen big nations lose, but we have not put ourselves in a position where we’ve felt under pressure.”##NAJAVA_MECA_6853997##Perhaps the relatively low expectations from English fans should be viewed as an advantage. Somehow, nobody considers the Three Lions as one of the contenders. However, Rice sees a lot of quality when he looks around his squad.”If you look at our attacking players, we have world-class, unbelievable talents across the team. We have players who have won the biggest trophies. We are one of the biggest teams here. It’s down to us to prove it on the pitch. Teams like the French have won a World Cup and done it consistently. Now we want to change that.””We’ve had a real good focus throughout the three group games.” 👏@_DeclanRice reviews the #ThreeLions’ @FIFAWorldCup campaign so far… pic.twitter.com/fhYg4BuhU7— England (@England) December 1, 2022 Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford scored twice against Wales – and impressed Rice.”From the first moment I came into the England set-up, Marcus is a person I’ve always said is one of the standout people. I was so surprised by it: He’s lightning quick, his speed, his eye for goal and his technique. I know he had a tough year last year but no one ever doubted his quality. Now seeing him on the biggest stage it’s making me and the team really happy. The Golden Boot? There’s no reason why he can’t win it.”
