DECLAN RICE refused to celebrate in front of home fans after putting England ahead in their 2-0 win against the Republic of Ireland.
But Jack Grealish was nowhere near as shy as he punched the air in jubilation following his goal against the country he represented in his youth.
Arsenal star Rice was capped THREE times by the Boys in Green before controversially switching allegiances in 2019.
Rice was loudly booed by supporters at the Aviva Stadium, with one even holding a sign branding him a “snake” along with former Ireland U21s star Grealish.
And the pair were sure to have enraged home fans by proudly singing along to “God Save the Queen” – despite boss and ex-Ireland international Lee Carsley refusing to join in.
But temperatures hit boiling point in the capital when Rice fired England ahead after 11 minutes.
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The midfielder pounced on to a loose ball before firing past Liverpool’s Caoimhan Kelleher.
And he sparked wild scenes of celebration from the England fans stood behind the Irish net.
However, Rice refused to join in the party as he held his hands up in a gesture of peace.
Grealish had no qualms about celebrating though when he hit the target after 26 minutes.
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The Man City star jumped high before punching the air and hugging teammates.
And fans were loving the different approaches from Rice and Grealish.
One said: “Rice celebration is killing me, how do you hold your hands up like you scored against your old team in an international match.”
Another declared: “Rice refusing to celebrate against his former country I’m in tears.”
One noted: “Grealish ran over to the English fans like he had won the World Cup.”
Another added: “Rice didn’t celebrate. Grealish said ‘watch this’.”
Speaking after the game, Rice revealed he didn’t celebrate as he did not want to “disrespect” his late Irish grandparents.
He said: “Obviously my grandparents are Irish and they’ve passed away now.
“So I did not want to be disrespectful to anyone. I really enjoyed myself playing for Ireland and did not think it was appropriate.”
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Rice also rejected the chance to captain England for the last five minutes when Harry Kane came off, with John Stones getting the armband instead.
Rice added: “Stones is also of the more senior players so I thought Harry should give it to him.”
Lee Carsley followed same path as De La Fuente and learned from Pep – why can’t he be England boss?
By Tom Barclay
BE honest. How many of you had heard of Luis de la Fuente before his glorious Euros?
Don’t feel bad. Even Declan Rice admitted ahead of Sunday’s heartbreaking final that he was unaware of the smooth-headed 63-year-old a month or so ago.
We all certainly know who De La Fuente is now after he masterminded La Roja’s perfect Euros campaign which ended with a deserved victory over England.
That showpiece triumph in Berlin made it seven wins out of seven in the competition for his scintillating side.
It rendered De La Fuente the first boss ever to win the Under-19 Euros, Under-21 Euros, the Nations League and the European Championship.
And in so doing, it strengthened the case for another bold, bald tactician to take over as England boss now Gareth Southgate has stepped down.
Lee Carsley has trodden a similar path as De La Fuente, successfully coaching his way up his national team’s youth ranks, culminating in last summer’s Under-21 Euro success.
No doubt there would be questions about his suitability given his experience of coaching senior players is limited to brief caretaker spells at Coventry, Brentford and Birmingham.
For sure, he would not bring the same star quality as a Frank Lampard. Most fans will just about remember Carsley as that ratter of a midfielder who played alongside Thomas Gravesen for Everton in the noughties.
While there is also the thorny issue, at least for some, of the Brummie’s 40 caps for the Republic of Ireland, who ironically would be his first opponents if appointed.
But park all that for a second, focus on his qualities and the argument to give him the big job can be a convincing one.
First off, his team does not play like he used to.
‘Carsball’ is far sexier and heavily influenced by its creator watching Pep Guardiola’s free-flowing Barcelona train a decade ago, alongside 60 members of the public.
That study trip to Catalonia changed his philosophy to be far more front-footed and it paved the way to some fabulous fare during last summer’s triumph in Georgia.
Four of the five tournament goals boasting the most passes in the build-up belonged to his Young Lions.
Fans bemoaning Southgate’s pragmatic style would be salivating if they watched back the build-up to Emile Smith Rowe’s strike against Israel in the group stage, or Cole Palmer’s in the semi against the same opposition.
Carsley is a tactical innovator too.
He was robbed of a centre-forward pretty much on the eve of the tournament last summer, thanks to Rhian Brewster’s injury and Flo Balogun switching to the USA.
His response was to play Gordon through the middle. The Newcastle starlet won player of the tournament.
Manchester United supporters likely remember Angel Gomes as a lightweight winger but Carsley played him as a shield in front of the back four to great effect.
Gordon used the Under-21 Euros experience as his launchpad to make the senior squad this summer.
But talking about Carsley 12 months ago, the Toon forward said: “He is the best man-manager I’ve had so far.
“I feel like I can speak to him about anything on and off the pitch.
“On the pitch, the way we’re playing football is a credit to him because we play the way he tells us to.
“This might be the best footballing team I’ve played in, in terms of how we play and the combination play we play around the box, it’s really at an elite level. That’s down to Lee.”
Those powers of motivation could be crucial to unleashing Jude Bellingham, who, like Solihull-born Carsley, is from the outskirts of Birmingham, specifically Stourbridge.
Like Southgate, Carsley believes in the merits of giving them a comfortable environment to work in, particularly during tournaments.
The 50-year-old is relatively quiet on the touchline, often seen on his haunches making notes in his dugout with his assistant Ashley Cole the more vocal.
England’s greatest left-back Cole has learned a lot from Carsley despite having the far superior playing career.
In the aftermath of the Under-21s success, which was won without conceding a goal, Cole reflected on the different attitudes players have to international duty now and in his day.
The ex-Arsenal and Chelsea defender, 43, said: “We didn’t always want to go and the club manager would pull you out.
“But I feel they truly, truly love coming here now. I think that is testament to what Lee has done here. He is kind, loving, someone that thinks about the players more than himself.”
Other names will be in the frame but the FA will have seen how De La Fuente has taken Spain to new heights, despite his relative obscurity to the wider footballing world.
The promotion of Carsley, who spent these Euros scouting England’s opponents, would take guts and faith in the much-feted ‘pathway’.
He would have to brace himself for unprecedented levels of scrutiny – but he is ambitious.
With his 50th birthday fast approaching, Carsley said in June last year: “Energy-wise, and I’m not saying the clock’s ticking, but if I don’t have a go at it then the boat is going to pass.”
Few Spaniards were bowled over when De La Fuente was appointed in 2022 but he put them on course to sensational success.
Who is to say putting Carsley at the helm could not have a similar effect?
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
