Tony Cascarino has urged Gareth Southgate to field West Ham United captain Declan Rice in the England defence. He is adamant the midfielder can play in the backline ‘blindfolded’.
Rice featured at the base of the Three Lions’ engine room against Italy on Friday night. But he could not help Southgate’s side avoid a 1-0 defeat and endure relegation in the Nations League. England will now drop into League B after failing to win any of their five A3 games.
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The San Siro affair returned Rice’s 33rd cap and 30th start for England in all competitions. He has made all of his outings to date from midfield, whilst scoring once against Iceland in 2020 and against Hungary in 2021. But the 23-year-old has played in defence at West Ham.
Rice made his Premier League breakthrough in the West Ham backline during the 2017/18 season. But he has not featured consistently in the position since his maiden term as a top-flight player. Instead, Rice has gone from strength to strength as a box-to-box midfielder.
Even though England lost to Italy, Rice was one of Southgate’s better performers with the West Ham skipper in midfield. The former Republic of Ireland youth international made a few crucial interceptions and shielded the backline in most, but did not attack that much.
West Ham captain Rice can play at centre-back ‘blindfolded’ for England
Yet despite the almost certainty that Rice will line up in midfield for England at the Qatar World Cup, Cascarino urges Southgate to use the West Ham captain at centre-half instead.
“The best way for England to play is a four [at the back],” Cascarino told talkSPORT. “And I really think the best person to play in a four, because he’s quick as well, is Declan Rice at the heart of England’s defence. Absolute centre-half.
“Playing alongside someone like John Stones, having that pace is going to be really important to England in a back-four. Declan could play that position blindfolded. He’s a natural defender.”
Southgate started with Harry Maguire, Eric Dier and Kyle Walker at centre-half in a three-man backline against Italy. Walker majorly struggled as the right-sided option and was at fault for the goal, having allowed Giacomo Raspadori the time to turn and get a shot out.
The Manchester City right-back had already allowed the Azzurri a few sights of goal as his positioning proved to be problematic. Southgate eventually took Walker off and brought Luke Shaw on at left-back with a switch to a four-man defence minutes after Italy’s goal.
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