Leader: Declan Rice
(Picture: PA)Declan Rice believes he is ready to take more games “by the scruff of the neck” as he gets used to life as West Ham captain and closes on top form ahead of next month’s World Cup.
Rice took over the captaincy on a permanent basis following the retirement of Mark Noble at the end of last season but had, by his own high standards, endured a slow start to the campaign.
However, the 23-year-old was one of England’s few standout performers during last month’s Nations League matches against Italy and Germany, and then looked back close to his best in Saturday’s crucial victory over Wolves, which lifted the Hammers out of the Premier League’s relegation zone.
“I am always going to be picked out for not having a good game because I have set the bar so high for myself,” Rice said. “First couple of games it took me a bit to get going, but I am starting to find my form again. There were so many games last season, and so many now leading up to the World Cup.
“I am feeling really good. Me and the manager have a great relationship and I am ready to play and give 100 per cent every time I put on the shirt.”
Rice has started every game for club and country so far this season, barring two Europa Conference League qualifying matches missed through suspension. The midfielder, though, has told manager David Moyes that he does not want a rest and is set to feature this evening as the Hammers continue their Euro campaign at Belgian side Anderlecht.
Victory would see them take a big step towards qualification for the knockout stage, and Rice is desperate to lead from the front as he looks to add a domineering streak to his game.
“I want to do more in possession,” he said. “Do more on the ball. I want to take games by the scruff of the neck more, because I know I’ve got it in me and it’s just about going out there and doing it.
“There were games last season where I felt that on the pitch, where I said to myself, ‘I’m going to go and take this game by the scruff of the neck. Give me the ball, I’m going to show you what I can do’. I know I can do that more.”
Rice had already captained West Ham throughout much of last season, with Noble’s playing time limited during the final season of his career. Off the field, however, the youngest permanent captain in the Premier League is now facing a host of new responsibilities, including dealing with the club hierarchy and settling a dressing room that saw eight new additions this summer.
“I have not found it tough because I learned so much from Nobes and how he dealt with the players,” he added. “He was the best at that, so every new player that has joined this summer I have dropped them a text and said if they need anything I am there. There is a bigger scale of talking to the likes of [vice-chairman] Karren Brady and having a closer relationship with the manager, having views and opinions.
“There are so many things that go on behind the scenes that Nobes made look so easy. I am still only 23. He was 27 or 28 when he took over as captain. I am still learning.”
West Ham are without Maxwel Cornet in Belgium due to a calf strain, but 16-year-old academy midfielder Oliver Scarles has travelled with Moyes’s first-team squad.
