He is the only one who cannot be replaced, Declan Rice props up the Three Lions midfield!
England had already qualified for the European Championship last month, and the last two games against the weaker teams in the same group were mainly trial, and finally won one and drew one, and confirmed the top spot in the same group. With midfielder Jude Bellingham withdrawn due to injury and manager Gareth Southgate preparing for this, the two games saw another central midfielder, Declan Rice, put the rest of the squad to test their performance.
Declan Rice has been a key member of Gareth Southgate's squad since he was first selected in 2019, with only one inconsequential fixture not being selected. The third time he played for England was in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League, and he was substituted until extra time, which shows his importance in the hearts of the coaching staff.
He and Jude Bellingham form a new generation of midfield duo that was already highly anticipated at last year's World Cup. Jude Bellingham is on fire at Real Madrid this season, and with Declan Rice covering in central midfield, it is expected to shine at next year's European Championships. The question is, how do you get the most out of them, and how do Gareth Southgate fill in the absence of a team?
Gareth Southgai has not changed much in his squad in this round of European Championship qualifying, but he has tried different combinations in both games. Against Malta, Declan Rice came on as a substitute for about 30 minutes, providing the team with midfield stability until the second goal came in. Last month's friendly against Australia also proved one thing, and that is that without Declan Rice now, the depth of the midfield will be greatly weakened and self-defeating. With Declan Rice in midfield, England's other positions can be more unscrupulous and concentrate on staying in their own positions to play their strengths.
After Declan Rice joined Arsenal, in the backfield organizational system, he often used left-back Zinchenko to adduct the midfield position, and Declan Rice formed a midfield double axis to support the front playmaker. As for England, Gareth Southgate also hopes to have players and Declan Rice form a midfield duo to provide more stability.
At Euro 2021, Calvin Phillips and Declan Rice worked well together, so Gareth Southgate called him up even if Calvin Phillips didn't play now. However, even if Calvin Phillips is selected, he is not in enough form to play in the tournament. Jordan Henderson's performances in both international rounds were not enough to convince the outside world and the coaching staff to play with Declan Rice in next year's tournament.
In the final game at North Macedonia, Gareth Southgate came out 4-2-3-1 and played with Declan Rice in a back two with Trent Alexander-Arnold, who had also been a full-back turned midfielder. The difference is that in these two England games, Alexander-Arnold was completely in the number eight position, and he would not go back to fill the right-back position when defending. Under his protection, Declan Rice has an additional task in the game against North Macedonia, which is to support the attack on the left of Jack Grealish and Rico Lewis.
Declan Rice had already played more than 200 games for West Ham United before joining Arsenal this year, and the team reached the top of the UEFA Europa League. And he only needs to wear the armor for his country twice to reach 50 national team appearances. At just 24 years old, Declan Rice will definitely be a midfield superstar of this generation, and it depends on whether Gareth Southgate and Arteta, as managers, can use his talent and quality to win the glory he deserves.