Euro 2024 semi-final is just another game for England’s Declan Rice

BLANKENHAIN – Declan Rice is taking England’s Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands in his stride and believes they have the momentum to beat the Dutch and win their first European Championship.

The Arsenal midfielder, the bedrock for England during what has been a lacklustre run to the last four, said he was in a relaxed mood ahead of the July 10 clash in Dortmund, while expecting a tough game.

“It’s business as usual... I don’t put too much pressure on myself, I don’t think about it too much,” Rice told England’s Lions’ Den programme.

“It’s another game of football, it’s a semi-final and that’s the only way I think about it.

“We’re here for a reason, Holland are here for a reason and may the best team win. It’s a game of football, we feel like we’ve got a really good bit of momentum on our side.”

However, his manager Gareth Southgate admitted that the “Dutch have better quality than the teams that we’ve played so far”.

He added: “The Netherlands (have) a little bit more quality, I would say, in certain areas of the pitch, and there’s less room for error.”

Southgate will be hoping for more quality from his own team, including Rice.

The statistics underline Rice’s contribution for England, covering more distance at the tournament than any other player at 63.9km over five matches, with the fourth-most tackles and balls recovered.

Rice said it was all in a day’s work. “This is our job, this is what we’re conditioned for, 90-minute football matches,” he said.

“The bigger the games, the more driven I get and I just get extra spurts of energy... They say I run too much but it’s just a part of me. I love trying to help my teammates and I love winning the ball back.”

Victory in Dortmund would send England into their second successive Euro final and their third major final overall.

Rice believes England can go all the way and urged fans to keep backing the team ahead of what he called a massive game against the Netherlands, for a chance to meet Spain or France.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for them. If you look at the history of the Dutch, the players they’ve produced, the managers... they’ve always been the top nation,” the 25-year-old said. “I’m never going to sit here and talk them down.

“We’re really confident. Keep backing us, keep supporting us because we’re feeling that love, that energy. Hopefully, we can create history again by going to back-to-back finals.”

However, the Oranje’s star player in Germany, Cody Gakpo, has warned that his team have improved since the 2022 World Cup, where they lost in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Argentina.

“This has been a great tournament for us so far. I feel we’ve already taken a step forward compared to the last one. And I’m happy to be part of that,” said the attacker, who has three goals and an assist.

The Three Lions own star attacker Harry Kane has not had a similar impact in Germany.

He has scored twice in the tournament but has looked out of sorts, lacking pace and short on chances, prompting calls for him to be dropped for the semi-final.

But Trent Alexander-Arnold backed Kane and said England’s all-time top scorer could create chances from nothing.

“Anyone who is facing England would like to see Harry Kane not playing,” he said.

“You just know he is a threat. Anything in and around the box, you need to be on red alert.

“He can finish it from every angle. I always say he is the best finisher I’ve seen or played with. He can drop down and build play up and his hold-up play is incredible too.”

Left-back Shaw, who returned from injury late in the quarter-final win over Switzerland, said Kane is a world-class player.

“At any time he can score a goal and make that difference. He’s a very important player, he’s our captain,” he said.

“You give him time in and around the box he’ll score, he takes opportunities. We know that, we see it day in day out. We know the quality he has and what he brings to the team and it’s very important he’s on the pitch.” REUTERS