West Ham United drew with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League last weekend.
Rice featured for West Ham in the London derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this past Sunday.
The 19-year-old, who can operate as a central defender or as a defensive midfielder, started the Premier League and played for the entire 90 minutes, as it ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Republic of Ireland international, who is valued at €11.9 million (£10.37m) by CIES Football Observatory, has revealed how he prepared for the match to cope with the threats posed by the likes of Eden Hazard and Willian.
Rice told The Irish Independent: “I’d watched clips and obviously I know how Eden Hazard plays and how Willian plays but you can’t really tell off a video until you face them in real life as you come up against different challenges.”
Smart idea
Hazard and Willian are two of the best attacking players in the Premier League, but Rice coped well against them.
It was quite smart of the youngster to study the Chelsea duo before the match, and one suspects that it must have helped him.
Rice is a rising star at West Ham, and his performances this season suggest that he could establish himself as a regular in the first team for a long time.
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