Rice: I Feel Like I'll Assist Every Corner at World Cup
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- Declan Rice told BBC Sport at England's Kansas City base that he feels he'll get an assist "every time" he takes a corner, urging England supporters to be "excited" for the World Cup
- Harry Kane headed England's second goal from a Rice corner in their 4-2 opening win over Croatia, after his opener from the penalty spot came when Noni Madueke was fouled following a Rice cross
- Arsenal scored from a record 19 corners last season on their way to a first Premier League title in 22 years, drawing criticism for a pragmatic style despite 25 total set-play goals
- Rice became Arsenal's designated set-piece taker in January 2024 after a Dubai training camp, with Jover and the manager identifying that he could deliver dead balls into areas only Bukayo Saka could match
- Thomas Tuchel took over England in January 2025 and has emphasized a Premier League-style approach, with set-piece movements and delivery patterns installed over the past year so "the lads know what's coming"
- Reece James, playing his first World Cup as England's first-choice right-back, dismissed injury talk as "boring" after a hamstring issue at the end of the 2025-26 campaign kept him out for four weeks and cost him appearances against Japan and Uruguay
- James ended his club season with 39 appearances for Chelsea, where he previously worked with Tuchel, and acknowledged the "huge threats" in England's set-piece delivery corps
Why it matters: Set-piece efficiency could decide England's tournament: they converted two of Rice's deliveries into goals in their opening match, and a year of coordinated routines under Tuchel means the squad's dead-ball game is now an intentional weapon rather than an afterthought, with two Premier League-calibre corner takers (Rice and James) both available.
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