Declan Rice believes England’s desperation to give fans “memories for lifetimes” has resulted in their tepid start to Euro 2024.
The Three Lions produced a dismal performance in Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Denmark, following on from the unconvincing victory over Serbia on the opening weekend.
Gareth Southgate’s side sit top of Group C on four points and already have one foot in the knockout stage, but have so far looked a long way short of being tournament contenders.
Southgate admitted following the Denmark game that his players are struggling to deal with the expectation of having come to Germany among the favourites and midfielder Rice admitted similar vulnerability.
“I think we are all so desperate to do the country proud,” Rice said. “We are all so desperate to win, to be leaders, to go out there and give people memories for lifetimes.
“Sometimes I maybe feel like we put too much pressure on ourselves where we could just go out there and let it just take care of itself.”
This European Championship has been billed as a huge chance for England to at last end their long wait for men’s major silverware, after several near-misses at previous tournaments under Southgate.
Expectations have been raised further by the club form of star players like Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham, but a dysfunctional team is yet to click into gear.
“I think there is probably more pressure now from the outside just because of the seasons some of our players have had,” Rice added. “If you look at the goals that our front-four have scored this year, it’s over a hundred between them.
“Of course there is expectation because they are the best players in the world. And that goes for everyone throughout the team. There’s going to be that pressure. This is England, major tournament.
"But look this is our job and this is what we have to deal with. At the end of the day it’s us, we’ve played in high pressure games, high pressure environments.”
We'll be fine, we'll recover well, and we've got one more to go
Rice was critical of his own performance in Frankfurt, with the Arsenal man enduring a rare bad night in an England shirt as Denmark’s midfielders controlled the game.
Going forward, for the second match in a row, England struggled to break down a five-man defence and Slovenia will no doubt have taken note ahead of Tuesday’s final group meeting in Cologne.
"I'm honest with my performances now,” Rice said. “I'm at a stage where I've played so many games well, I've had bad games. [Thursday], I wasn't probably the best I could be.
“When we play against those back-fives, no one gives you the space. Everyone expects you to get the ball, and thinks you can play a piercing ball straight through the middle. It’s not like that, it's a completely different picture on the pitch. [It’s about] being patient in the moment, and then the space will open up.
"We'll be fine, we'll recover well, and we've got one more to go.”
