Declan Rice draws on Arsenal title win as England brace for DR Congo low block
Declan Rice believes the mental lessons learned during Arsenal’s Premier League title triumph will prove crucial when England take on the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the World Cup last 32 in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Speaking to The Guardian, the Arsenal midfielder recalled the moment after a defeat at Manchester City in mid-April that threatened to derail the Gunners’ title charge. Spotted shaking his head on the Etihad pitch, Rice was clearly mouthing “It’s not done” — and he was right. Arsenal won every remaining league game to claim their first title since 2004, while City faltered. “It could have gone either way,” Rice admitted. “That would have lived with me for ever.”
He draws a direct line from that experience to England’s situation at this World Cup. The group stage produced two unconvincing performances against Ghana and Panama — both sides sitting deep and refusing to press — and the England camp expects little different from the DRC.
Few midfields in international football cost as much as England’s current three. Rice moved from West Ham to Arsenal for £105m in 2023, Jude Bellingham’s switch from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid the same summer was valued at £88.5m and could reach £115m with add-ons, and Elliot Anderson’s impending £116m move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City means the trio collectively represent extraordinary outlay. Yet turning that quality into goals against well-organised defences has proved far from straightforward.
“When you look at the quality that we have across the whole squad, you would say: ‘Right, how are we not scoring four or five?’” Rice acknowledged. “But Ghana were incredibly well drilled and so were Panama. It’s down to us to break down these low blocks and to be patient.”
DR Congo are no pushovers. In the group stage they held Portugal to a 1-1 draw, lost by a single goal to Colombia, and beat Uzbekistan 3-1. Their squad includes Premier League names such as Yoane Wissa, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe, so England should expect a physical, compact challenge. Manager Thomas Tuchel has reportedly reminded his players that Ghana and Panama rank comparably to the likes of Wales and Serbia — opposition deserving of respect.
Rice’s message is straightforward: patience and collective sacrifice will matter as much as individual brilliance. “There’s going to be moments where we have setbacks, where we have to get through,” he said. “It’s going to be tough and we need to be ready for everything that comes.”
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