Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice rested over the international break
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Usually, your stock rises when you are out of the side but in Declan Rice's case, there seems to be a clamour for an England midfield refresh.
That's largely down to Alex Scott's impressive role in the Three Lions' record 7-0 Nations League demolition of Croatia in Rijeka last Saturday.
The Bournemouth gem, who actually picked up a quad injury in the one-sided demolition that could rule him out of action for up to two months, is the new prospect on everybody's lips.
Chelsea had several approaches rejected in the summer and just like Elliot Anderson last term, a new fresh-faced England maestro is being tipped to achieve big things.
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Thomas Tuchel says Scott can up the pressure on Rice, who missed camp due to workload management: “Of course, and he does [Rice feels his place is under threat], we need performances like this.
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Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka all played for England at the World Cup
Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka all played for England at the World Cup(MB Media/Getty Images)
"This is just the nature of it. We will not survive on two central midfielders. The more the better – and it’s always about the guys who are in camp.
“Declan knows about his importance, and he’s one of the very best midfielders in Europe. Nothing will change that. But it’s exactly what we need. We need more, more, more, more variety. We need more, more, more options. Then it’s always about the guys who are in camp. Alex was at the highest level.”
Gary Lineker also questioned whether Scott could dethrone Rice, stating on The Rest is Football Podcast: "Declan Rice has his strengths and is brilliant with his delivery and work-rate, but there's a calmness and control to Scott, he never gives the ball away and he's always scanning. I was really impressed; what a very, very confident start to his England career.
"I wonder what Thomas Tuchel is going to do because Alex Scott has that kind of control and Declan Rice's a totally different player. Does it give him a different option now and does it mean, perhaps, that Declan's place is not always assured?
"Maybe he will want to play slightly differently with someone like Alex Scott. It might be a bit early to say that but it's a conversation to be had."
Not to discredit Scott but such claims are centred around recency bias. There seems to be a notion that England look largely better when Rice is no longer in the side. Perhaps that's an easy thing to say on the back of the World Cup, where he was crippled by neural hamstring pain.
But the truth is, while Nations League matches can be competitive, they can also lack edge. Czechia barely laid a glove on England, allowing them to be more expressive in midfield. In Prague, they also played with 10 men for 65 minutes following Pavel Sulc's red card.
Alex Scott
Alex Scott caught the eye for England against Croatia
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Against Croatia last weekend, the hosts were as bad as any international team England have faced in the past decade. Outside of a Mateo Kovacic sitter, they spent most of the match camped inside their own half being torn to shreds.
They were perfect conditions for players like Scott to showcase their creativity and technical quality and there is simply no disputing he's going to be a top midfielder and valuable asset for both club and country.
However, the numbers since 2024 suggest Rice is merely too important to be cast aside for England. While a bit more rotation and rest would suit Arsenal down to the ground, it still seems unlikely.
For starters, his durability and availability - outside of this camp of course - has been excellent over the past few years. Only Jordan Pickford (3168), Harry Kane (2853) and Marc Guehi (2588) have played more minutes for England than Rice (2582) during that timeframe.
Additionally, his creativity - something he has really developed in the past few years - is arguably his best quality. Out of all of the England players that have played 2500+ minutes since 2024, only Jude Bellingham (1.80) has created more chances than Rice (1.64) per 90.
His 0.28 assists per 90 is also rather impressive as only Bellingham (0.32) and Noni Madueke (0.30) have a better hit rate.
Declan Rice
Declan Rice remains absolutely crucial for England
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Where regaining possession is concerned, only Anderson (7.86), Marc Guehi (4.46) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (4.85) have a better ball recovery ratio per 90 from England's latest squad.
That's largely due to Rice's willingness to press, especially in high areas. Again, from England's latest squad, only four players have more final-third ball recoveries (0.7) than the £105million man.
This is also without actually factoring in some of the other qualities that Rice brings to the party. He's now vastly experienced having played at two World Cups and two European Championships. He's also a natural leader and somebody that will be a strong candidate for the captaincy when Kane eventually calls time on his international career.
To put it bluntly, he is just too important to not be considered a crucial and integral player for England.
While that's not ideal for Arsenal, it's nothing new and the emergence of new talent such as Scott and Kobbie Mainoo can help ease the burden on Rice where international minutes are concerned. That can only be positive for the Premier League champions.
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