Former Chelsea and Celtic striker Chris Sutton believes that West Ham United captain Declan Rice was upstaged by Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams during England’s goalless draw with the United States of America on Friday night.
Gareth Southgate’s side missed the chance to book their place into the 2022 World Cup’s round of 16 after being held to a goalless draw by USA just four days after thumping Iran 6-2 in their opening Group B fixture last month.
In the game, Hammers midfielder Rice made one tackle, three interceptions and two clearances, the same number of tackles and clearances but three time as many interceptions as Adams in the USA midfield.
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Despite Rice outperforming Adams significantly in interceptions, former Chelsea striker Sutton, whose playing career saw him win the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers, felt that Adams was running all over the pitch and putting in effort that Rice was not.
“[Jude] Bellingham and [Mason] Mount are given licence to get further forward while Rice stays back as a safety net,” he told the Daily Mail. “But the defensive midfielder who impressed the most in this match was [the] tireless Tyler Adams of Leeds. He was here, there and everywhere. Rice wasn’t.”
Rice and England go into their final Group B clash of the campaign on four points and one point clear at the top of their group. To qualify for the round of 16, they must get at least a draw against Wales on Tuesday, who themselves have to win to stand any chance of progressing.
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