Published 25 November 2022 4 min read
England Men's Senior Team
'Tough to play our stuff' - Declan Rice and Mason Mount react to USA draw
Midfield pair take the positives as England retain top spot in Group B after two games
Declan Rice and Mason Mount admit England came up against a tough opponent in USA, as they had to settle for a point in their second World Cup group game on Friday evening.
The Three Lions couldn’t find a breakthrough at the Al Bayt Stadium in Doha to build on their opening game victory over Iran earlier in the week.
But they also had to show resolve at the other end to see off an energetic opponent in the USA, meaning the outcome of Group B will be decided in the final round of games next Tuesday when England take on Wales.
"We knew it wasn't going to be an easy game and you saw that tonight,” said Rice.
“They caused us some problems and not scoring one of those big chances in the first half kind of killed us a little bit.
“Other than them hitting the bar and a couple of points in the second half, they didn't put us under too much pressure. It's just about breaking the line that bit more and creating a few more chances.
“But it's a point and it still puts us in the driving seat. We'll maximise recovery and we have another tough one next in the group.”
The Three Lions couldn’t find a breakthrough at the Al Bayt Stadium in Doha to build on their opening game victory over Iran earlier in the week.
But they also had to show resolve at the other end to see off an energetic opponent in the USA, meaning the outcome of Group B will be decided in the final round of games next Tuesday when England take on Wales.
"We knew it wasn't going to be an easy game and you saw that tonight,” said Rice.
“They caused us some problems and not scoring one of those big chances in the first half kind of killed us a little bit.
“Other than them hitting the bar and a couple of points in the second half, they didn't put us under too much pressure. It's just about breaking the line that bit more and creating a few more chances.
“But it's a point and it still puts us in the driving seat. We'll maximise recovery and we have another tough one next in the group.”
His midfield partner Mount was equally frustrated, with USA’s well-drilled and high-octane approach largely restricting time and space for England’s creativity to come to the fore.
"It was tough to play our stuff, they have a very physical midfield and a team where they can play and great individual players,” said the Chelsea playmaker.
“It wasn't easy but we stuck with it and we tried to play our stuff, with maybe a little bit of a lack of technical ability in the end in the final third with that final pass or shot to create a chance.
“But it's a clean sheet, we look at the positives and it's a point gained in the big picture and it's always tough to win every single group game. We want to win every game, but the focus goes onto winning that last game.
"You look at the bigger picture, not many teams win every single game in the group. The most important thing is to get through and win that last game, we're at the top and that's the big focus now."
The Three Lions will finish their group stage on Tuesday evening (7pm GMT), when they face Wales.
"It was tough to play our stuff, they have a very physical midfield and a team where they can play and great individual players,” said the Chelsea playmaker.
“It wasn't easy but we stuck with it and we tried to play our stuff, with maybe a little bit of a lack of technical ability in the end in the final third with that final pass or shot to create a chance.
“But it's a clean sheet, we look at the positives and it's a point gained in the big picture and it's always tough to win every single group game. We want to win every game, but the focus goes onto winning that last game.
"You look at the bigger picture, not many teams win every single game in the group. The most important thing is to get through and win that last game, we're at the top and that's the big focus now."
The Three Lions will finish their group stage on Tuesday evening (7pm GMT), when they face Wales.
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