Giacomo Raspadori’s strike in the second half gave the home side a 1-0 win in Milan, a result that sees England relegated from the top division of the Nations League with one game of the campaign to spare.
More importantly, England’s run of games without a win has been extended to five and Gareth Southgate’s side are struggling for form at the worst possible time, with the World Cup less than two months away.
The first four games of that dismal streak came in the span of 11 days in June and despite the defeat at the San Siro, West Ham midfielder Rice believes England offered an improved display.
“It’s obviously disappointing,” Rice told Channel 4. “Every tournament we do, we try to win the group and progress and win every game. In the Nations League we have fallen below our standards.
“But I didn’t think it was all bad tonight. One chance for them, one goal. I thought we had the game under control, played the ball well, especially in the first half and got into some good areas, we just missed that lead at the end. But it’s coming. [It was] a much better performance than in the summer.”
The most alarming element of England’s bloated form in 2022 was their inability to score goals. Southgate’s men have now gone 450 minutes without scoring from open play, with Harry Kane’s late penalty in June’s draw against Germany their only goal in five games.
Monday’s setback against the Germans at Wembley is England’s last chance to rediscover a creative spark for their group stage opener against Iran in Doha.
“It’s not that we don’t create chances,” Rice added. “We got into the opponent’s penalty area so many times. Even myself at the end there I could add goals, make a shot instead of taking one off.
“But look, I see it in training, there are goals for fun. Trust me, we’re going to be fine.”