SaqDeclan Rice felt he had produced the big performance needed on his Republic of Ireland return at the end of a promising few days under England caretaker manager Lee Carsley.
Life without Gareth Southgate began on Saturday night with a 2-0 win at a sold-out Aviva Stadium, 55 days after the narrow defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Rice and Jack Grealish scored the goals in Dublin, ignoring boos from their home side in a hostile return to Ireland, whom they represented at different levels before switching allegiances.
Arsenal midfielder Rice, who won three senior caps for Republic, refused to celebrate his stunning debut goal as a mark of respect.
“My grandmother and grandfather, on my father’s side, are all Irish,” he said. “They’re all deceased, they’re not here anymore.
“So I think it would have been really disrespectful of me to celebrate that, seeing as they were obviously not here anymore and they were my dad’s parents. I didn’t want to do that, to be honest.
“I had some amazing times playing for Ireland, first team, under-19s and under-21s. They are wonderful memories that will stay with me forever.
“I have nothing bad to say, I wish them the best.”
Rice exploited the hostility to produce one of his best England performances on what could have been a difficult day in Dublin after what he admits has been a slow start to the season.
“I was really happy,” he said. “Obviously I came back to Arsenal late (after the Euros).
“To be honest, I don’t feel 100% fit so far. I did my pre-season in the Premier League.
“Today I feel like I took a step forward. I feel like myself again, I feel more dynamic, I feel like I can run on the field, I feel more powerful.
“I feel like I’ve taken another step forward, which will obviously help me at Arsenal. I felt really good and I knew I needed a big performance because so far this season I got sent off in the last game (against Brighton) and in the first two games I was a bit rusty.”
England face Finland at Wembley on Tuesday before the focus turns back to club matters, giving Carsley a few extra days to make his mark on the back-to-back Euro finalists.
Parachuted in for the autumn fixtures following Southgate’s departure, the 50-year-old former Republic midfielder impressed the players in his first week with them.
Carsley also faced fury over his decision not to sing ‘God Save the King’, with some even suggesting he was unfit for the job in England.
“Is that what was said?” Rice asked. “I’m not on Twitter and I don’t have a news app, so I didn’t see what was said about Lee.”
“I know he played 40 times for Ireland. That meant a lot to him in his career. He’s now England manager.
“Obviously I can’t say what he wants to do. All I know is that we guys have been very impressed with him this week. He’s been so refreshing.
“His games have been excellent, very precise, and the way we play and train is really different, so I think all the guys are really happy with him.
“We’ve obviously had some incredible times with Gareth. Some of the best memories we could probably imagine. The only thing missing was obviously us not winning a trophy.
“But with Lee now, I think he’s adapted to the position very well.
“He gave a lot of guys a lot of confidence to go out there and play. Look at Jack today. I think Jack is better when he’s under his arm and he’s being told how good he is.
“I think Lee did that this week and Jack went out there, and when Jack plays with personality and confidence he’s one of the best players in the world.
“I think that’s what Lee will continue to bring to this team.”
Saq
