Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson or Eric Dier? The stats which show the West Ham United midfielder deserves England call-up after Republic of Ireland snub

Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson or Eric Dier? The stats which show the West Ham United midfielder deserves England call-up after Republic of Ireland snub
Declan Rice’s decision to play for England instead of the Republic of Ireland has presented Gareth Southgate with the sort of welcome conundrum every manager dreams of.The 20-year-old explained his decision to play for the country he was born and raised in via a heartfelt statement on Wednesday, describing it as an ‘extremely difficult decision’.7

Henderson and Dier have often shared defensive midfield duties for England

The West Ham United has gone being withdrawn at half time at Anfield on the opening day, to bullying seasoned Premier League midfielders in the space of just six months.Rice’s decision to switch international allegiances has drawn criticism from both fans and pundits alike.According to Dean Saunders, the versatile star should NOT be allowed to represent England. Tony Cascarino also said on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast he felt ‘gutted’ by the decision.His impressive form has not gone unnoticed, with Southgate reportedly ready to call up the youngster to the England squad for the fixtures against the Czech Republic and Montenegro in March. With fans already concerned for the futures of Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson, it seems apt to compare the three midfielders to see just who deserves to start those crucial Euro 2020 qualifying games.Scroll down to see how Rice compares against the Liverpool and Tottenham stars, according to data collated from whoscored.com.

DEFENSIVE CONTRIBUTIONS

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Rice is beaten by either Dier or Henderson in just two categories (courtesy of whoscored.com)

Having spent virtually the entirety of his youth career as a centre-half, Rice can naturally spot danger when the opposition have the ball. As he has matured into a holding midfielder under Manuel Pellegrini, his reading of the game and interceptions have become vital to the way West Ham play.Rice averages 1.6 interceptions per game as opposed to 0.8 from Henderson and 1.0 from Dier. Similarly, his tackle rate is a lot higher. Rice averages 2.6 tackles per game in comparison to 1.5 from Henderson and 1.6 from Dier. In fact, Rice is only beaten by his more senior counterparts in the ‘dribbled past’ and ‘clearances’ sections.What we can infer from this data is that, like Rice, the Spurs midfielder has utilised the skills he honed from playing as a defender to be effective without the ball in the midfield areas.As a defender first and foremost, the West Ham star will look to protect his defenders at all times. He covers the channels when the Hammers’ rampaging full-backs are caught up-field, perhaps explaining his high defensive stats.

OFFENSIVE CONTRIBUTIONS

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The West Ham defender is a danger from set pieces

As the midfield anchor in West Ham’s midfield, Rice is tasked with freeing Mark Noble and Robert Snodgrass of their defensive responsibilities. As a result, his attacking stats are not as impressive as his defensive contributions.Although he can claim to havemore dribbles and more shots per game than his midfield rivals, his strengths are undoubtedly in the opposition box.Standing at 6″1, Rice is not spectacularly tall but he has an incredible spring and is not afraid to put his head in where it hurts. His strike against Arsenal in January shows he also has the necessary composure in front of goals.

PASSING STATISTICS

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The one area where Rice is soundly beaten by his more experience colleagues, Rice needs to offer more on the ball

In order to make the step up to international football, Rice must develop his game with the ball if he is to become England’s main man in midfield. Although the Hammers do not enjoy as much possession as Liverpool or Tottenham, the West Ham man is some way behind his rivals.His pass success rate, key passes and though ball stats are decidedly lacking and, in Gareth Southgate’s system, this is likely to hinder Rice’s progression into the England set-up.At the World Cup, Henderson was the heartbeat for England. An out and regista, he took games by the scruff of the neck and his use of the ball stretched teams to exploit the spaces for England’s pacy and more creative players.Against Tunisia, he was superb. The opposition players looked lost as the Liverpool skipper mixed up his passing game to either release runners from deep with balls over the top or draw players out of position with incisive, short passes.7

Henderson was the main man for England in Russia

HOW COULD HE FIT IN?

Given Rice’s age and inexperience, it is unlikely he will be thrust into the big games for England straight away by Gareth Southgate. However, it would seem as though this is where he would excel for the Three Lions.As a natural midfielder, Henderson possesses the passing range and tactical nous required to be England’s main man in Southgate’s preferred formation with three at the back.Used against sides who are willing to sit back, the full backs push on and England are required to be forward thinking to break down the opposition. Rice is not quite up to international standard yet in terms of creativity.However, when England have played more forward-thinking teams (i.e. Spain and Croatia in the Nations League) Southgate has used a 4-3-3 formation. This is where Rice should be used for the Three Lions.7

Rice’s discipline and ability to do the simple things well make him an excellent choice for the holding midfield role

Against both of those nations, England played much more compact and looked to utilise the pace of their wingers to devastating effect.However, without the tireless work of their midfielders in winning and then releasing the ball quickly, the system effectively fails. Having kept Paul Pogba, Eden Hazard and Roberto Firmino quiet for West Ham at home this season, Rice has shown he is more than capable of executing this role.His reading of the game and aggressive pressing make him an ideal candidate to be the anchor for England’s midfield role ahead of Eric Dier, who performs virtually an identical role.The 25-year-old was fantastic for the Three Lions against Spain at the tailend of last year, despite picking up a booking for an almighty tackle on Sergio Ramos.7

Here’s how Rice could fit into the England team

CONCLUSION

While the West Ham midfielder has no guarantees his international switch will guarantee England caps, there is certainly room for Rice in the England set-up.Even if he does not start (or even get on the pitch) after his first call-up, Southgate will be keen to ingratiate the 20-year-old with the squad and allow him to gain an understanding of how to play the roles.However, it would be unwise to suggest Dier and Henderson deserve to be shifted out just yet. Both are diligent and strong leaders in this young Three Lions side and are trusted by Southgate.Rice has some way to oust them just yet, but the future certainly looks bright.

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