Liam Rosenior shares his thoughts on Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier & West Ham United’s Declan Rice in regards to England

Follow us on Google Discover

Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier and West Ham United’s Declan Rice are currently on international duty with England.

Liam Rosenior has backed West Ham ace Declan Rice to start for England because he has the ‘tactical awareness’ that not many midfield players have.

The Sky Sports pundit also claimed that Tottenham’s Eric Dier, who will be challenging Rice for that number six spot in Gareth Southgate’s XI, ‘hasn’t been great over the last year’.

The Three Lions will take on the Czech Republic and Montenegro for their Euro 2020 qualifiers, with Rice hoping to earn his first England cap.

Speaking to the Debate show on Sky Sports Premier League, (19/03/2019 at 10:15 pm), Rosenior shared his thoughts on England’s defensive-midfielders.

“Eric Dier was the one who I thought would take up that position,” Rosenior told Sky Sports. “He was in outstanding form for Tottenham, his form hasn’t been great over the last year.

“Declan Rice can sit in front of a back four. Read the game. He reminds me of Michael Carrick. It is so similar in terms of his West Ham up bringing and understanding of football.

“What’s held England back hasn’t been a technical capability of players or even a physical capability of players. It’s the tactical awareness and understanding that I am seeing from him that I don’t see in many midfield players.”

It remains to be seen if Southgate is still loyal to the midfield players that did so well for his during their World Cup semi-final run in Russia.

Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson and Dier are the two players that will be challenging Rice for that defensive spot in the middle of the park.

Southgate could potentially stick with the experience and familiar face. But there is no doubt that when it comes to club form, Rice has been the outstanding talent.

Over the course of this season, he has made that number six position in West Ham’s midfield his own and played a big part in his team currently sitting in the top 10 in the Premier League table.