Declan Rice: All Hands On Dec

[GoonerJay24]

Yes, our best and most consistent the past three seasons each season. Rightly got CL Team, PFA Team, nominated PFA player of the season and won Arsenal player of year last season. Rightly got in the PFA team in his first season for us and I thought Saka (who I thought wasn't amongst our top 5 performers that season) was wrongly voted Arsenal player of season ahead of him.

This season at present, Rice is the bookies 4th favourite to win the Ballon Dor (behind Mbappe, Yamal and Kane) and is currently the bookies favourite to win the PFA player of the season.

I can’t agree with most of that, but fair enough. Ødegaard won our Player of the Year in 2024 not Saka, and for me it should probably have been him or Rodri winning the PFA award over Foden.

It feels like a lot of modern football discourse is shaped by social media and personality driven narratives. That can inflate perceptions of certain players performances and value. I’d include Rice in that conversation. English players particularly, tend to get a lot of media hype.

I'm not seeing what most people are with this guy. If we play the same style and system as against Leeds, he'd be way more important for us

 

[A_G]

Not surprised it only took one below average game for NetanRiou and the likes to pile on.

 

[bastun]

@Riou I thought this non-stop Rice slander you do is some sort of a joke you run with.
Do you really not rate Rice at all ? One of the best if not the best player in our team.

 

[Aubamabludclat94]

I swear people on here wont be happy unless players get 2 weeks rest between games.

He did run sometimes like he was tired but he was probably just bluffing. Had Chelsea players just were he wanted then. Saka does it too with his limping around.

Nah he was misplacing easy passes and under-hitting them, I know when a player is tired. Them struggling with actions they typically would normally easily be able to execute is always a telltale sign. Unless maybe you think its "lights too bright" like Trilly said but Rice has played much better in much bigger games so I definitely dont think thats it. His comments after the game revealed as much.

 

[Aubamabludclat94]

He was very mediocre in the first half. Misplaced easy passes, underhit them, wasn't looking to pass the ball forward or carry it, but he stepped up defensively in the second half when Chelsea tried to have a little go at us. No matter what you think of his limitations as a distributor, as a creative passer, etc, he's simply one of the first names on the team sheet because his super power as a defensive savant and a non-stop running demon is often the difference-maker in these tight 50/50 games. That's not even getting into the amount of things he does very well like his set piece delivery, his ball carrying, his IQ and decision making, and his ball striking. Football is an 11 player team sport. You simply have to get the balance right in the rest of the midfield and team because Rice's qualities are too good for him to not start because of one or 2 deficiencies. He's an athlete of the highest caliber who's very good-to-elite in almost every single footballing quality. He's a huge part of the reason why we are one of the best teams on the planet right now.

 

[Legend14]

Do you genuinely believe this?

The world does. Just a few on here don’t.

 

[GoonerJay24]

He was very mediocre in the first half. Misplaced easy passes, underhit them, wasn't looking to pass the ball forward or carry it, but he stepped up defensively in the second half when Chelsea tried to have a little go at us. No matter what you think of his limitations as a distributor, as a creative passer, etc, he's simply one of the first names on the team sheet because his super power as a defensive savant and a non-stop running demon is often the difference-maker in these tight 50/50 games. That's not even getting into the amount of things he does very well like his set piece delivery, his ball carrying, his IQ and decision making, and his ball striking. Football is an 11 player team sport. You simply have to get the balance right in the rest of the midfield and team because Rice's qualities are too good for him to not start because of one or 2 deficiencies. He's an athlete of the highest caliber who's very good-to-elite in almost every single footballing quality. He's a huge part of the reason why we are one of the best teams on the planet right now.

How often across seasons are we playing true 50/50 games where those defensive instincts in midfield is the deciding factor? A lot of our matches are against low blocks where the bigger challenge is breaking teams down, controlling tempo and creating fluency in possession. In those games the midfield profile matters differently

But this is why I'd like to play how we did at Leeds; direct, without the slow build up and possession. Playing through the thirds does not suit a profile like Rice.

 

[GoonerJay24]

The world does. Just a few on here don’t.

Yh, too much social media and personality influence. Not real football

 

[Legend14]

Yh, too much social media and personality influence. Not real football

He is playing real football. The issue is how he is being evaluated by a few. Remove the “he has to be a creative 8” bias and you can clearly see what he is doing and how well he does it.

He starts on any team in the world for a reason and it isn’t about social media, it’s about performance.

 

[viktor]

@Riou I thought this non-stop Rice slander you do is some sort of a joke you run with.
Do you really not rate Rice at all ? One of the best if not the best player in our team.

because @Riou love nostalgia in this forum then his expectation is he want arsenal have one of the goat midfielder like patrick vieira which absolutely f u c k i n g impossible to have player like that in this era

 

[GoonerJay24]

He is playing real football. The issue is how he is being evaluated by a few. Remove the “he has to be a creative 8” bias and you can clearly see what he is doing and how well he does it.

He starts on any team in the world for a reason and it isn’t about social media, it’s about performance.

But in a possession based team; that priorities playing through the thirds, what is the role of an 8?

Arsenal fans are massive on social media and Rice is British. These two things have definitely inflated his status imo.

I'm not trying to argue or be contrarian btw, these are genuinely my thoughts.

 

[DanDare]

Think he's been overplayed first half of the season

 

[Aubamabludclat94]

How often across seasons are we playing true 50/50 games where those defensive instincts in midfield is the deciding factor? A lot of our matches are against low blocks where the bigger challenge is breaking teams down, controlling tempo and creating fluency in possession. In those games the midfield profile matters differently

But this is why I'd like to play how we did at Leeds; direct, without the slow build up and possession. Playing through the thirds does not suit a profile like Rice.

You make a good point. I agree, and that's why I believe Rice has worked on his set piece delivery so much. Its his way of contributing offensively to unlock low blocks. He's also crucial in those games because we pin teams so deep that their counter attacks can catch us in vulnerable positions. His ability to prevent those is also a huge factor why we're the best defensive team in the world.

 

[razörist]

He was so good today. Pressing and intercepting.

We don’t even care

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

Really strong performance today.

 

[Tnegs]

Was immense today. This is the kind of performance you need to steady the ship when your team is struggling to get going and you can’t afford to concede a goal. Unlucky not to score with that curling shot too.

 

[Legend14]

But in a possession based team; that priorities playing through the thirds, what is the role of an 8?

Arsenal fans are massive on social media and Rice is British. These two things have definitely inflated his status imo.

I'm not trying to argue or be contrarian btw, these are genuinely my thoughts.

I’m not British, so I don’t have a bias.

What is his role in Arteta’s system as an 8? This is how he should be measured. The concern is if the system is unbalanced with too many players not playing through and not being creative. With Havertz or Eze playing higher. I think we have a better balance.

That said, I prefer Zubi farther up than Rice at this point.

 

[Batman]

Not just a great performance but great leadership on display, particularly in the second half to see the game out. He was directing his teammates and keeping us in that sweet spot of still playing and trying to score without being reckless. I agree with Upson who was on commentary that it's a matter of time before he's Captain of club and country.

 

[outlawz]

Better than Paddy, dare I whisper it?

Definitely not but that’s more a testament to how great Vieira was.

Rice is a top player but Vieira was more skilful and was the heartbeat to three titles.

Rice can definitely make it a conversation though:

 

[GoonerJay24]

I’m not British, so I don’t have a bias.

What is his role in Arteta’s system as an 8? This is how he should be measured. The concern is if the system is unbalanced with too many players not playing through and not being creative. With Havertz or Eze playing higher. I think we have a better balance.

That said, I prefer Zubi farther up than Rice at this point.

Nationality is irrelevant. I’m saying narratives can influence how anyone evaluates players, even subconsciously.

In possession, a lot of our actions involve short passing sequences to play through the thirds. That’s essentially possession football. In that structure, the 8 needs to be a connector and a creative player. You want someone who can manage tempo, combine in tight spaces and add attacking output

I also prefer Rice deeper than Zubimendi. Arteta just needs to allow more flexibility in the build up. When Rice was playing as the 6 for us in early 23/24, our build up from the back felt very rigid.