Declan Rice has opened up on England’s ambitions. (Image: Getty Images)
Declan Rice has boldly stated that England should not shy away from expressing their ambition to win the World Cup. Rice is confident in the quality of the team and the leadership of manager Thomas Tuchel, believing they have what it takes to triumph in North America next summer.
Having been part of a squad that reached two major finals in the European Championships, Rice feels they have the hunger and experience to go one step further and claim the ultimate prize. England were the first European team to qualify for the World Cup and are already considered among the favourites to lift the trophy. Rice insists they should not be daunted by high expectations.
The Arsenal star declared: “We want to win it. Obviously it’s going to be a bold statement. But we’re England. We have world class players all over the pitch. If we didn’t think like that, I think that would be weak mentality from us. I think we all want to win the World Cup, we’d all love that, to get our hands on that in our career.
“I think at the last World Cup we played really, really well, we obviously lost to France, and we’ve obviously lost two finals, which isn’t ideal. But we’ve proven we can get to the big occasions, the big moments, it’s just about getting over the line.
“I think we have a manager who’s won at the highest level. We’ve got players who are winning at club level now. We all need to keep adding our experience, keep chipping in, and when it comes to the big stage, we’ve got to perform, we’ve got to be ready.
“You see the best players in the world, they’ve won that in the past, and what it meant to them. But there’s a long way to go, and theres so many different stages to get through before we get to that point. It’s just about keeping building up until that moment.”
Rice also believes that England’s pool of talent – including top-tier players like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham who are making their mark at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid respectively – provides a depth of strength and intense competition.
However, Rice also suggests that England manager Tuchel’s impressive resume and history of coaching elite players could be the catalyst for success after numerous close calls.
Rice stated: “Definitely. I think the manager’s made that clear. Everyone’s playing really well for clubs, and when you come here, you have to train and you have to be on it.
“Tuchel is an exceptional manager, he’s managed the best players in the world. He’s made it clear, competition is key. That’s what you want as a player, you don’t want to feel comfortable in your role.
“Even at club level, you always want to feel that you’ve got to train well every day, you need to play well to keep your sport. I think that will be key to us going in the tournament, everyone being ready and hungry to put on the shirt.”
At 26, Rice achieved his 70th cap in England’s victory over Latvia, securing their place in next summer’s World Cup.
Declan Rice thinks England can win the World Cup. (Image: Getty Images)
He believes he’s in the prime of his career, both in form and fitness, but astonishingly, it took him a while to truly feel like a significant player for England.
Rice stated: “I feel probably the fittest I’ve ever been at start of the season stage. I just feel really strong. When you’re confident in football, that’s one of the main things.
“I’ve had that for the last few years, I’ve felt really confident in my game, I’m really happy on the pitch, off the pitch, and that really helps me when I step on the pitch.
“I think it took me a few years in this England team to get to that stage. Tonight was cap 70 for me. So it’s going so quick. I’m still only 26 you know, I just need to keep going, keep playing well.
“Like you said, I’m in the leadership group, the lads ask me for opinions, I’m really close with the younger guys here, and obviously I get on really well with the older guys. It’s good to bridge the gap between the two. Try to do everything I can to help the team.”
Rice has urged his England colleagues to grab their “special chance” to clinch the World Cup. And he reckons it could be the best opportunity many will ever have to secure the biggest accolade in football next summer.
England have made it to the final of the last two Euros and also reached the semi-final of a World Cup, but Tuchel is resolute to push even further next year.
Rice said: “We all need to keep pushing it, and keep being as hungry as we can. There’s a special chance in the summer. It’s come around so quickly. You don’t get these chances a lot in football.
“Going to another tournament with England is one of the biggest honours you can have in football. There’s lads who’ve been at tournaments, and there’s some lads who are experiencing it for the first time. So it’s really, really special. And there’s a lot to look forward to.
“I think in the last two camps we’ve really stepped it up, you can see that with the group, with the training, with the way we’re playing on the pitch. Every camp we’ve improved. It’s been really, really good. It’s been positive, six wins.”
Rice also reckons England now possesses an excellent blend of youth and experience, which combines quality with fierce competition that has developed throughout recent international gatherings.
He added: “I think we’re probably a much younger squad now. In terms of experience, probably not a lot of lads who’ve been at major tournaments. But we’ve been building something really, really special over the last few weeks.
“Everyone’s been looking forward to coming into camp. The standard of training’s been really good. I think the last few games, it’s been really really good, high energy, running for each other, pressing really well, scoring lots of goals, that’s what people want to see, so it’s been really good.”