Rice backs Kane for the Ballon d'Or and sends a message to Yamal
Declan Rice, the England midfielder, spoke about the anticipated clash with Spain, the world champions, stressing that his side are looking to secure victory and deliver a strong performance, in an important test that will reveal how far the England team has developed and its ability to compete with the strongest sides.
Spain host England at the Metropolitano Stadium tomorrow, Sunday, in the closing fixtures of Group Three of League A in the UEFA Nations League.
Spain top the group on 15 points and have already sealed their quarter-final spot. England sit second with 12 points, also through to the next round, which leaves tomorrow's clash to settle one thing alone: who finishes top.
Rice previewed the meeting with Spain at today's pre-match press conference, according to "Sky Sports": "It's a huge game, and I don't think there are bigger clashes than a Champions League final or a semi-final against Argentina, but when you play against the Spain national team, the world champions, that gives you a huge drive to go out onto the pitch and win, and that's what our talk has been about all week. We beat Croatia, and now we go to Spain to put in a special performance, win the match and try to finish top of the group. We'll be ready for this clash tomorrow evening".
The midfielder framed the game as a test of England's true level, with the side facing criticism after every outing: "Every time we play in an England shirt, we face questions about the level of our performance".
He added: "Our performance against Croatia in the last match was acceptable, but we know we have more to give. And I think tomorrow's clash will force us to show the best we have. These are the matches you want to play in, against the best teams and the best players, and we have players who shine on occasions like these".
He continued: "Definitely, we need to put in a strong performance and play well tomorrow evening, and this match will reveal the true level of our group".
Asked about the risk of England players facing racist abuse during the clash with Spain, Rice drew on past experience: "I've been through similar situations before in Montenegro and Bulgaria, and there was a specific protocol we followed, and we left the pitch. We know very well our stance as a group on these matters".
He added: "The manager hasn't spoken about this matter so far, and I wouldn't be surprised if he addresses it tomorrow, but we know our stance well".
His tone turned warmer on the host city: "I don't expect anything of that kind to happen tomorrow evening. It's a beautiful city, with a wonderful stadium, and we also have a great deal of respect for the players we'll be facing. All the conditions are in place for a wonderful evening of football, and we hope nothing happens to spoil it".
Rice also defended Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or triumph ahead of young Spaniard Lamine Yamal, insisting the Bayern Munich striker deserved to be crowned.
The England midfielder said: "I realise that every Spanish player will of course say that Lamine Yamal was the most deserving of the win".
He signed off: "Lamine is an exceptional player, and one of the best players in the world, and he'll claim many Ballon d'Or awards in the future, but I believe Harry's win this time was the right decision, and that he thoroughly deserved the award".
Spain won the first-round meeting 3-2 at Wembley, striking through Yamal, Alejandro Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal. Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane replied for England.
