Rice calls for England improvement after Malta struggle

Adam Drury
LiveScore
Declan Rice wants England to improve against North Macedonia
Declan Rice wants England to improve against North Macedonia

Declan Rice wants England to improve on Friday's lethargic 2-0 victory over Malta when they face North Macedonia on Monday evening.

The Three Lions' final Euro 2024 qualifier sees them take on opposition they hammered 7-0 in the reverse fixture in June.

And their midfield lynchpin wants them to recreate that kind of performance in Skopje.

He said: "I think especially the other night after Malta there is just a bit of pride in ourselves that we need to raise our level.

"We need to put out a statement and it would be a good way to end the year. 

"We are currently unbeaten since the World Cup so it is down to us to go out tomorrow night and put on a performance.

"You need to be mentally prepared and be ready for a hostile environment and make sure we go out of this year with a bang. 

"We will be ready for whatever they throw at us."

The Arsenal ace thought he had got himself on the scoresheet at Wembley on Friday after a fine run and shot found the corner of the net — only for it to be ruled out for offside.

And he revealed that the near miss has inspired him to find his shooting boots on Monday.

Declan Rice thought he had scored for England against Malta
Declan Rice thought he had scored for England against Malta

He said: "To be honest with you, going back to the other night, I was gutted.

"When I picked the ball up and drove through and bent one into the far corner, I was buzzing because I don't really score goals like that often.

"When it was chalked off I was gutted but it was one of those where I didn't want to get into something with the ref and get a silly yellow card. 

"Hopefully I can score one of those again, maybe tomorrow night."

Tags

EnglandDeclan RiceEuropean Championship