England Learns From Iceland Defeat, Rice Backs Mainoo's Midfield Role
Declan Rice believes there are positives England can take from their friendly loss to Iceland, asserting that the result should not impact Kobbie Mainoo's chances of partnering him in midfield. England were booed off after losing their final Euro 2024 warm-up fixture 1-0 at Wembley Stadium, with Jon Thorsteinsson's 12th-minute strike proving decisive.
Gareth Southgate's team managed just one shot on target as Iceland sat deep and invited pressure. Harry Kane and Ivan Toney both missed promising opportunities. This was England's fewest shots on target in any game since a goalless draw with Scotland in the group stage at Euro 2020.
While Rice expressed disappointment with Friday's result, he remains optimistic that England will learn from their mistakes in time for Group C fixtures against Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia. "I think when we have that much of the ball and have a couple of really clear-cut chances, and obviously getting beat 1-0 at home just before a Euros isn't ideal, but I am going to take the positives from it as well," Rice told Channel 4.
"There were a lot of promising performances tonight. I felt on the pitch we played with a good tempo, always tried to play forward and be attacking and a threat. In the end, it becomes a frustrating game because you are chasing your tail a little bit, you're likely to get caught on the counterattack and that is where we have to be a little bit more savvy," Rice added.
This is the first time England have lost their final game before a major international tournament since Euro 1968 when they were eliminated in the first round after losing to West Germany in their final warm-up fixture. After losing 1-0 to Brazil in March, they have also failed to score in two of their last three matches at Wembley.
Rice partnered Manchester United youngster Mainoo in midfield, and his team-mate faced criticism from supporters as England were frequently caught on the counterattack. However, Rice remains confident about Mainoo's potential. "We did it in March, and it was really positive. I can imagine tonight because we lost some people are saying stuff, but that's football these days," Rice said.
"Kobbie's young, I am young, our midfield options are young. We are going to learn every game and that is the beauty of football, that every game you play there is a chance to improve and get better," he concluded.
We're going to learn from this.
@_DeclanRice reacts to tonight's defeat to Iceland...pic.twitter.com/OcRsC5tSdZ
— England (@England) June 7, 2024
The upcoming Euro 2024 tournament kicks off in just ten days, with fans eagerly awaiting who will lift the trophy on 14 July. For now, attention turns to pre-tournament predictions from sources like the Opta Supercomputer.
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It's now just 10 days until @EURO2024 kicks off, but who will end up lifting the trophy? The definitive answer won't come until 14 July, so for now it's time to look to the Opta Supercomputer pre-tournament predictions.#Euro2024
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) June 4, 2024
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