Declan Rice believes everyone now loves his set-piece ability for England, having moaned about it for most of the Premier League season.
The Arsenal midfielder assisted Harry Kane’s second goal against Croatia from a corner as he picked out the Bayern Munich striker in the penalty area.
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Last season, the Gunners became synonymous with set-pieces, with Rice and Bukayo Saka producing incredible deliveries into the box.
Many rival supporters spent the majority of the season complaining about set-pieces, but that is no longer the case now that Rice is doing it for England.
Declan Rice thinks everyone now loves his ability from corners
Declan Rice has suggested that many England fans are having to change their stance on set-pieces after spending most of last season bemoaning Arsenal.
Set-pieces have become such a big part of the modern game, and Arsenal have mastered them thanks to Rice and Saka.
However, the North London club did get a fair amount of stick for their set-piece routines, but now that Rice is doing it for England, those opinions are changing.
Speaking about set-pieces for England, Rice told BBC Sport: “Everyone’s enjoying them now, ain’t they? Everyone’s enjoying them now.
“The first ever conversation I had was in January 2024. I wouldn’t ever [take] corners or take set-pieces, but Nico (Jover) and the manager at Arsenal saw something in me that others didn’t.
“They said that I can put balls in areas from a dead ball that no one else can in the team at Arsenal other than Bukayo [Saka], really, from the in-swingers.
“From that moment, I really just bought into that, believed in that, and as time’s gone on, yeah, I feel like now every time I put down a ball for a set-piece.
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“Whether it’s a corner, you know, a wide free-kick, I feel like I’m gonna get an assist or make something happen that’s dangerous. So I feel like that’s a good mentality to have over set-pieces. England fans can be excited now.”
Thomas Tuchel must utilise these situations, as England’s second goal against Croatia proved why they can be such a big asset.
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