MY ACCOUNT
West Ham manager David Moyes declared his side needs Declan Rice “to drive us on” if they are to come back from a 2-1 deficit against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semi-final.
The first leg, played at London Stadium, got off to the worst possible start as the visitors scored inside the opening minute, with Michail Antonio replying in the first half before Daichi Kamada scored the Frankfurt winner after 54 minutes.
Whichever team advances to the final will meet the winner of RB Leipzig and Rangers.
Rice has been the driving force behind West Ham’s season and has become one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League. Now, Moyes wants the 23-year-old to push the Hammers into a first major European final since 1976.
“I say to Declan Rice every week ‘you have to drive them on, every day in training – the levels and standards have to be taken higher’,” Moyes told a news conference.
“Every day you have to drive them on, the levels. He has the chance to work with some of the best players in the country when he goes away with England – Harry Kane, Harry Maguire, you name it – and he has to bring that back to our camp and demand it from the other boys.
Rice has, quite literally, played a key role in progressing West Ham to this huge tie, having made 182 ball carries in the Europa League this season, second only to Barcelona’s Eric Garcia (191).
The total distance of Rice’s carries amounts to 2,083 metres, more than 400 metres more than any other central midfield player this campaign. Moyes did stress, though, that it is important not to put the onus all on one talismanic player.
“We also mustn’t put too much on Dec’s shoulders! I’m the one who’s said it because he’s such a quality player and he’s got tremendous abilities,” Moyes continued.
“I challenge him a lot, but we need to get a whole team performance and everybody needs to perform well.
“We need Dec to drive us on, but we need him to play with a really steady, experienced head for somebody who’s young.”
Moyes’ second spell in charge has seen West Ham transform from relegation candidates to being on the brink of a European final in the space of two years.
“Our climb over the last two years has probably been faster [than we’d expect] and sometimes you have to come down a little bit to go again – but hopefully, we continue to build and grow, and that’s what I’m trying to drive home,” Moyes added.
“The biggest thing I’ve seen is the mentality change in the players here – it’s incredible. The demand really is that we try and improve, and I put it on them.
“They need to be the ones who do it as well. The manager is always the one who gets found out if it happens or not, but sometimes the players need to be the ones who roll their sleeves up and not accept anything other than the best.”
