Declan Rice denies England are not fit enough

Midfielder Declan Rice (white shirt) confirmed that the England team has no physical problems - Photo: AFP

England have been criticised by former players and pundits for their lacklustre performances and ambiguous tactics in their opening two matches at Euro 2024. Ahead of the match on the morning of June 26 (Vietnam time) against Slovenia, England's performance is becoming the main topic of discussion.

England go into the game already assured of their place in the last 16 after Albania lost to Spain. However, any mistake against Slovenia could have serious consequences for England. A second-place finish would see them face Germany, while a top-flight finish would see them face a third-placed team.

"We have the best players in the world and we can handle any situation," Declan Rice told the Guardian . "The expectation from the badge on the shirt, the expectation of the whole country, we have to deal with all that pressure and go out there with composure. Tomorrow is a great opportunity for us to go out there and prove ourselves."

The biggest pressure is on head coach Gareth Southgate. The 53-year-old's concern is whether the team will be fit enough to carry out his instructions on the pitch.

Southgate hopes that replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold with Conor Gallagher in midfield will bring more energy. Earlier, after the match against Denmark, Southgate said England had fitness problems.

"We didn't press well enough, we didn't have enough intensity," Southgate was quoted by the Guardian as saying. "We had physical limitations. For example, we couldn't press high up the pitch like we did in qualifying, and we didn't keep the ball well enough."

However, Declan Rice doesn't think so. "It's ridiculous!", Rice told ITV.

"Let them continue to doubt. We train to play seasons like this. Because we are struggling, people think we are tired and not fit. If we are not fit enough to play for 90 minutes, we should not be players," Rice declared.

Coach Southgate has been more cautious about the intensity of training over the past three days. "We are definitely improving," he affirmed.

The Guardian newspaper said that the possibility of England changing their squad is quite low. Accordingly, coach Southgate is expected to make only minor changes in personnel.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/declan-rice-phu-nhan-tuyen-anh-khong-du-the-luc-20240625154617735.htm