At the end of a fortnight that saw him receive criticism for virtually the first time in his relatively short career, Declan Rice gave a reminder to everyone of his immense promise and ability at Aston Villa on Monday evening.
The No41 has repeatedly shown his maturity and ability to overcome the challenges in front of him in the past and, after a difficult period in which his performance for England against Kosovo was questioned, and the issue of his international allegiance again raised by former players and journalists, he did so yet again amid a cacophonous atmosphere at Villa Park.
Both before and after his West Ham United side had gone down to ten men, Rice was outstanding yet again in a Claret and Blue shirt, no doubt impressing his watching England manager Gareth Southgate.
Highlights: Aston Villa 0-0 West Ham United
The defensive midfielder sat deep and provided welcome protection to the back four and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, particularly after Arthur Masuaku was sent-off for two bookable offences midway through the second half.
Rice’s positioning was exceptional, his tackling superbly-timed and his use of the ball accurate and intelligent – qualities recognised by Sky Sports’ commentator Alan Smith, who named the 20-year-old as the Man of the Match.
The No41 was everywhere defensively, making a game-high six tackles, including a number of important interventions in and around his own penalty area, two interceptions and a clearance.
On the ball, Rice was the most-accurate passer of any of the 22 players who started the game, completing 54 of his 56 pass attempts, including six of seven ‘long balls’ which travelled at least 20 metres across the immaculate Villa Park pitch.
While those numbers will no longer be a surprise to anyone who has followed Rice’s career, the fact he matched any of his West Ham teammates by having two shots on goal will. Unfortunately, one was blocked by Jack Grealish and the other deflected wide, but it was encouraging to see him get into positions where he could threaten the opposition goal.
At the final whistle, the Irons youngster even had the character to applaud the Aston Villa supporters who had goaded and jeered him throughout an enthralling, feisty, yet goalless 90 minutes, earning their appreciation and respect.
All in all, it was a performance of great stature from a player who, with a steely determination to improve, will surely only get better and better.
