Declan Rice is taking England’s Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands in his stride and believes they have the momentum to beat the Dutch and win their first-ever European Championship.
The Arsenal midfielder, the bedrock for England during what has been a lacklustre run to the last four, said he was in relaxed mood ahead of Wednesday’s clash in Dortmund, while expecting a tough game.
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“It’s business as usual … I don’t put too much pressure on myself, I don’t think about it too much,” Rice told England’s Lions’ Den programme.
“It’s another game of football, it’s a semi-final and that’s the only way I think about it.”
“We’re here for a reason, Holland are here for a reason and may the best team win. It’s a game of football, we feel like we’ve got a really good bit of momentum on our side,” he added.
The statistics underline Rice’s contribution for England, covering more distance in the tournament than any other player at 63.9km (39.7 miles) over five matches, with the fourth most tackles and balls recovered.
Rice said it was all in a day’s work.
“This is our job, this is what we’re conditioned for, 90-minute football matches,” he said.
“The bigger the games, the more driven I get and I just get extra spurts of energy … they say I run too much but it’s just a part of me, I love trying to help my teammates and I love winning the ball back.”
Victory in Dortmund would send England into their second successive Euros final and their third major final overall.
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Rice believes England can go all the way and urged fans to keep backing the team ahead of what he called a massive game against the Netherlands, for a chance to meet Spain or France.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for them. If you look at the history of the Dutch, the players they’ve produced, the managers … they’ve always been the top nation. I’m never going to sit here and talk them down,” Rice said.
“We’re really confident. Keep backing us, keep supporting us because we’re feeling that love, that energy. Hopefully, we can create history again by going back-to-back finals.”
