England legend Stuart Pearce has slammed one Arsenal star for their underwhelming performance at Euro 2024 against Slovakia.
The Three Lions progressed to the quarter-finals of the competition in dramatic fashion as Jude Bellingham scored a 96th-minute equaliser before Harry Kane confirmed England’s performance in the final with an extra-time winner.
With Bukayo Saka winning praise for his performance on the night, with Declan Rice also impressing, it was a good day at the office for Arsenal boys for England, who both played all 120 minutes of the contest against Slovakia.
Yet England legend Pearce was not pleased with one performance from an Arsenal player.
Rice criticised by Pearce for ‘flat’ England display vs Slovakia
Speaking to TalkSport, Pearce was critical of Rice’s defensive performance for England, with the former Nottingham Forest defender labelling the Arsenal superstar as ‘flat’ with his passing out of the back.
With Rice playing alongside his third midfield partner in Kobbie Mainoo at Euro 2024, it’s clear the Gareth Southgate is yet to find the right solution for the 25-year-old Arsenal man in this England system, with Pearce far from impressed.
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Pearce said: “If you are being really, really genuinely honest and say which one of our players played well, I am struggling. I mean, Jordan Pickford has not done a great deal wrong. He was beaten by a shot that he had no chance, but beyond that, across our back-four, there were mistakes.
“We were littered with giveaway mistakes. In midfield, Declan was flat in there, Kobbie Mainoo did not have the impact he did the other night, and across the front four, I thought Jude was poor, Phil tried but it was not a virtuoso performance.”
Rice more than showed his quality for the Three Lions vs Slovakia
Rice has had a mixed Euros, like every England player who has played a single minute at the Euros this summer, yet tonight was one of the more better evenings for the Arsenal midfielder.
The former West Ham captain was a machine in the centre of the park alongside the inexperienced Mainoo, with Rice cementing his claim as one of England’s most important players in the entire squad.
And whilst Pearce might have a point on Rice being off the boil in some aspects, the 25-year-old was outstanding in other areas, with the Arsenal man proving his worth for England against Slovakia.
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