BOSTON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- England midfielder Declan Rice said the Three Lions fear no one at the 2026 World Cup as they prepare for their second Group L match against Ghana in Boston on Tuesday.
Thomas Tuchel's side opened its campaign with an impressive 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas. Despite some defensive concerns, Rice believes England's second-half display has set the standard for the rest of the tournament.
"We know as players the level. We know what's required," Rice said at Monday's pre-match press conference alongside Tuchel. "That second-half performance against Croatia was probably the benchmark for us in terms of having to start the game at that level, at that tempo.
"We believe that if we can do that from the opening minute, with players that we also have to come on and finish the game, we can beat any opponent in the world. We want to be confident in our abilities and what we can do on the pitch."
Rice, who helped Arsenal win its first league title in 22 years this season, said he is not worried about tiredness after coming off in the second half in Dallas.
"My body has been conditioned and built for these moments, for playing long seasons," he explained. "I'd probably say this season has been more mentally tougher than physically, just because the emotions of a football player are crazy."
"I think at this moment in time, I'm in a mentally very good space, and physically I feel really good as well. So I want to keep taking this into the end of the tournament," he said.
Looking ahead to Ghana, Rice expects a physically demanding and fast-paced contest.
"I've played against a lot of the Ghana team and from the clips I know what they're going to bring," he said. "They're going to bring strength, pace. They're going to want to catch us out on the counter-attack. So we need to be ready for everything.
"But also, having played against a lot of those players, I already know what's going to be coming tomorrow."
Tuchel stressed England must adapt quickly to Ghana's direct style of play.
"They play very direct when they're on the ball. They're not shy to use long balls. They bring four or five players into the attack," he said. "So it's a different approach than the last match. But that's the beauty of it - we play a World Cup, we play different cultures, different national teams and different approaches to the match.
"It's on us to adapt and to bring our strengths and be respectful enough to adapt to the strengths of our opponent and make it a top performance from us. Because that's what we need if we want to win."
Tuchel also delivered positive news on Bukayo Saka's fitness. The winger, who is managing an Achilles issue, did not start against Croatia but is in contention to face Ghana.
"Bukayo is getting better and better, he's more and more free in his movements, he feels no more pain," Tuchel said. "He was able to do both our training sessions the last two days on the highest level, so he's ready to go - without telling you if he will start or come from the bench." ■
