Declan Rice has described Jude Bellingham as "the future of English football", claiming his international midfield partner is the most talented 19-year-old he has ever seen.
Although England suffered relegation from the top tier of the Nations League last week, Bellingham has done no harm to his chances of starting at the upcoming World Cup during the international break.
With Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips enduring an injury-blighted campaign, Bellingham started alongside Rice in matches against Italy and Germany, impressing in a box-to-box role.
In Monday's 3-3 draw with Germany, Bellingham led England's charts for passes completed (41), touches (67), touches in the opposition box (six), duels won (eight), tackles won, interceptions and fouls won (all three).
Rice believes the Borussia Dortmund star's all-round ability is unique for someone of his age, telling the Daily Mirror: "I don't think I've seen anyone as good as he is for 19.
"I look at a lot of 19-year-olds, whether it's at a club, around the world, around the country. To have the whole package is a hard thing and I feel like he's got that.
"He's 19 but he's got the body of a 28-year-old – he's a man. He thinks like a man, plays like a man and shows personality and character.
"I've been around and played so many more games than he has in my career, but you can just tell as a 19-year-old what he brings to the team already, the energy he's got.
"He can play in a holding role, he can play as an eight, he can play as a 10.
"He's a man – you can see it when he plays for Dortmund. As a 19-year-old, you're normally scared to talk to the referee but he's in the referee's face demanding answers, demanding decisions and he leaves himself on the pitch constantly.
"He really pushes you on the pitch. We push each other on and it's a privilege to play next to him.
"Every time I play with Jude, we're building that connection and I say to him; 'you go and bomb on and do your attacking stuff and I'll sit here and defend for you'. So we're getting that good connection, he's great to play with.
"Hopefully, he keeps flourishing. He's the future of English football to come for the next 15 years."
While Bellingham's individual displays have earned rave reviews, England will begin the World Cup – against Iran on November 21 – having gone six games without a win (D3 L3).
This is their longest such run going into a major tournament, but Rice believes the Three Lions were much improved against Germany, adding: "We're sticking with a formation that needs work and we're working on that in training all the time.
"I feel like there's positive signs there. It's just a blip at the moment but that was a massive, positive step."
Garvey Maceo overpowers Munro College 3-0 in daCosta Cup quarterfinal encounter
Garvey Maceo placed one foot in the semi-final of the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup after a commanding 3-0 victory over Munro College in their Group B quarterfinal contest at Glenmuir High on Wednesday.
Garvey Maceo secured three crucial points courtesy of goals from Rushawn Whyte (74th), Omarian O’Brian (78th), and Rakeesh Jones (90+2), as they asserted their dominance in a game marked by missed chances, thrilling attacks, and at times, some good glovework by Jason Williams in goal for Munro College.
With the win, Garvey Maceo, dubbed the ‘Cubanz’ took control of Group B on four points, two points ahead of Central High and Ocho Rios High, who played out a 1-1 stalemate in the other fixture. By virtue of that, Garvey Maceo only require a point in their final contest against Ocho Rios High to confirm their semi-final berth.
It is for this reason that Head coach Lester Hibbert was beaming with delight at the outcome.
“It was an excellent performance; we are here for a reason so it is just for us to now go back to the training pitch, refocus and work hard again. The boys came out and they did excellent because they wanted this so going forward people will see what Garvey Maceo is all about,” Hibbert said.
It was a relentless display of control and attacking prowess by Garvey Maceo from the outset, as they were more aggressive and constantly challenged Munro’s backline.
In fact, they should have won by a wider margin as they created a string of early chances, but the finishes eluded them at that point.
In the 32nd minute, Everald Swaby offered a glimpse of Garvey Maceo’s intent when he dismissed his marker and let loose a powerful strike that forced Munro’s custodian Jason Williams into a crucial save at the near post.
That would be one of several moments where Williams proved vital in goal, as he stood tall against a flurry of Garvey Maceo attacks.
With the scoreline being goalless at the break, Garvey Maceo picked up where they left off on the resumption and went close a minute in as Rajay McLaughlin fired off a shot that skimmed wide of the post.
McLaughlin continued to test Munro’s defence in the 48th minute, his shot blocked by a quick-thinking defender. On the resulting corner, O’Brian’s effort eluded all and sundry and nearly found the net.
Garvey Maceo’s siege on Munro’s goal persisted as the match wore on, and Livingston Donaldson’s close-range attempt in the 61st minute demanded another save from Williams.
Williams again came to Munro’s rescue as he dived full stretch to deny Swaby’s powerful shot just five minutes later.
But the breakthrough felt inevitable and it came courtesy of Whyte, who fired a well-placed shot to the far corner for his fifth goal of the campaign.
Garvey Maceo doubled their lead four minutes later, as O’Brian, delivering his 11th goal of the season in spectacular style with a brilliant solo run that saw him glide past multiple defenders before calmly slotting the ball home.
With Munro reeling, the Clarendon team helped themselves to another goal. A Wilton Williams cross was mishandled by the otherwise impressive Jason Williams, allowing Jones to pounce and seal the win in time added.
Munro’s Head coach Kemar Ricketts was left disappointed but pointed out that they’ll look to bounce back in their final contest against Central High.
“It was a disappointing performance in the second half; we wanted to get something out of the game but such is life and we just have to regroup and come again,” Ricketts noted.
Wednesday’s results
Garvey Maceo 3, Munro College 0
Frome Technical 1, STETHS 3
Central High 1, Ocho Rios High 1
Tuesday’s Result
Glenmuir 4, McGrath 1
Chelsea fight back to beat brave Celtic in Women's Champions League
Chelsea rallied from a goal down to see off a spirited Celtic team 2-1 in the Women's Champions League, maintaining their perfect start to life under Sonia Bompastor.
Bompastor had led the Blues to six straight wins in the Women's Super League and masterminded triumphs over Real Madrid and Twente in Europe.
However, her perfect record came under serious threat in Glasgow, where competition debutants Celtic led through Murphy Agnew 's 22nd-minute goal.
She capped a lightning counter by racing in behind before slotting into the bottom-left corner, scoring Celtic's first goal in the Women's Champions League.
However, their lead lasted just six minutes as Maika Hamano swept home Aggie Beever-Jones' cutback for the equaliser, then Ashley Lawrence powered home a rebound in the 32nd minute to complete a rapid turnaround.
Beever-Jones was dismissed after collecting her second yellow card in stoppage time, but it did not matter to Chelsea as they made it 12 straight wins in all competitions.
They are now three points clear of Real Madrid at the top of Group B, after the Spanish giants routed Twente 7-0 earlier on Wednesday.
In Group A, Bompastor's former club Lyon posted an impressive 3-0 win at Roma to move three points clear of the Giallorosse.
Melchie Dumornay scored twice before half-time to put the French champions in the ascendency, then Vanessa Gilles reacted quickest to a right-wing corner to prod home their third seven minutes into the second half.
With three wins from as many matches, Lyon are three points clear of Roma and six ahead of Wolfsburg, who managed a 5-0 win over Galatasaray on Wednesday.
Turning the tide: Windies captain Powell cautiously optimistic about comeback in T20 series against England
Though facing an uphill task in their five-match T20 series against England, West Indies captain Rovman Powell is cautiously optimistic that they can produce a comeback to not only overturn a challenging 2-0 deficit but to go all the way in the series.
Powell’s sentiments served as a rallying cry of sorts as they stare down a must-win situation in the third encounter at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia on Thursday to keep the series alive.
Still, Powell expressed confidence that the Caribbean setting, coupled with a few strategic changes, will bolster their fightback.
“St. Lucia is always a good place for us. It provides an opportunity for us to play good cricket, and the wicket is generally a good one, probably the best one in the Caribbean,” Powell said in a pre-game interview.
“The people of St Lucia always come out to support us, which is also good, and so we're looking forward to the next three games. Hopefully they can come out and support us, and we can deliver some good cricket,” he added.
After two tough matches in Barbados, which England won by eight wickets and seven wickets, respectively, Powell emphasized the significance of a renewed focus while also pointing to the need for every player to take personal accountability heading into the crucial contest.
“I think it’s a case of each guy reflecting on how things have gone so far from an individual perspective to see if we as individuals are bringing enough to the table, and then we try our best to try to put it together as a team. We have areas that definitely need work, but the guys are in good spirits. We had a good training session today, so we’re hoping to hit the ground running,” Powell explained.
St Lucia is not only familiar territory but also presents a new beginning, especially with the return of key pacer Alzarri Joseph from a two-match suspension.
Powell believes Joseph’s presence will fortify a bowling attack that has struggled in the opening games, as England easily chased down 182 and 158 in both games.
“If you should look at our bowling department, we really needed him in those games. So, it's important for him to come and hit the straps and hit the ground running. As a bowling group, we have areas where we need to control the power play because the middle overs generally take care of themselves, and he will come to bowl some of those overs in the backend,” he shared.
Despite the uphill battle, Powell cited the Caribbean side’s recent successes over the past 18 months as a reminder of their potential.
“It's a little uncomfortable being 2-0 to be honest; it's a position that we haven't found ourselves in in a long time, but it's an opportunity for us to show what we are made of as a T20 team,” Powell declared.
“England is a team that we have played quite often these days, and we have had good results against them. It's just unfortunate that Barbados wasn't good for us in terms of T20 cricket, but St Lucia provides a new opportunity for us to come out and play some good cricket,” the Jamaican reasoned.
Finally, Powell reiterated the importance of a victory on Thursday, not only to stay in the series but also to set the stage for an exhilarating weekend of cricket. The final two encounters are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
“It's a case of us getting back into the series; we just need a win, and once we get the win tomorrow, we can go from there. The guys are upbeat; even though we are 2-0 down, they are in a good frame of mind and ready to play good cricket,” the captain ended.
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