Declan Rice sets new target for himself ahead of 2022-23
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice was at the heart of his club and country’s success last season. The 23-year-old has left many jaws on the floor with his immaculate drive, leadership, and defensive awareness.
He adds a sense of consistency, having mustered 50 appearances for the Hammers. He made a stunning 2.2 tackles per game on average, alongside intercepting his opponent 1.8 times. In the simplest of terms, West Ham look like a completely different unit without Rice at midfield.
Although not always demanded, Rice only managed a solitary goal in the Premier League last season. Obviously, he makes darting runs and carries the ball forward for West Ham, but no one expects him to rack up goals and assists. The player himself, though, does. And that speaks volumes regarding his mentality.
Speaking with GOAL Rice affirmed:
“With my ability, I want to start scoring more goals. I’ve got five this year, but that’s still not enough. I should be hitting 10 every season. I feel like that’s a goal for me that I should be able to hit, and let’s see if I can do it.”
Rice was integral to England’s Euro 2020 finish in the final, proving his mettle against the biggest international sides across the globe. He’s determined to improve his output in front of the goal but hasn’t ruled out continuous learning on both ends of the pitch.
He added:
“There’s always a part of my game that I’m trying to improve. My defensive abilities, that I’m really good at, I can still get better. You could always come up against a top player that exposes that, and then you’ve got to be able to go again and improve.
“There were question marks over whether I could play in Europe against the top sides. I’ve done it with England, but haven’t done it at club level, so I can take that into the next stage of my career. I’ve shown I can play and now I can use the experience from those games.”
The player has set the bar high for himself. Captaining West Ham, carrying the burden of their midfield and playing week-in-week-out – Declan Rice can do it all. He’s only ever scored 10 goals for the Irons, but if he has anything to say about it he’ll be looking to match that tally next season.
-Akarshak Roy
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Egghead06. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.