Declan Rice: Bend It Like Decam

[hydrofluoric acid]

If you let Rice cook in that 6 position it wont take him long time to be superior to Shartey playing there. Unlike Partey Rice has value and can play anywhere he wants too. Would be better RB also.

 

[Jason Jace]

If you let Rice cook in that 6 position it wont take him long time to be superior to Shartey playing there. Unlike Partey Rice has value and can play anywhere he wants too. Would be better RB also.

I honestly agree but I prefer 8 because of that extra defensive security he gives the team from that possition

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

He's pushing on leaps and bounds as an offensive threat, I really struggle to see why you'd move him tbh.

Partey isn't at 6 playing as a traditional DM, he's a deep lying playmaker, that's not really Rice's forte. One of Rice's flaws is that he can at times lack a bit of guile and snappy, clever ball progression in that area of the pitch.

Rice still gets through the defensive work at 8 and has the engine to still produce the offensive play and runs.

If something's not broke ( and is improving) don't fix it. At this stage I think playing Rice at 6 full time would be limiting what he can offer the side.

 

[Mrs Bergkamp]

I wasn't overly fussed on buying him and after his first season, I was pleased that he was better than I expected. I've been critical watching him this season, because it's taken him so long to find the last two CL performance levels. He held himself back so many times when attacking and I was screaming at the tv. It's suddenly like something clicked. I'm delighted for us and him as he's a genuinely nice guy (even though I wish he wasn't so nice at times). Top, top performance.

 

[Dokaka]

He's pushing on leaps and bounds as an offensive threat, I really struggle to see why you'd move him tbh.

Partey isn't at 6 playing as a traditional DM, he's a deep lying playmaker, that's not really Rice's forte. One of Rice's flaws is that he can at times lack a bit of guile and snappy, clever ball progression in that area of the pitch.

Rice still gets through the defensive work at 8 and has the engine to still produce the offensive play and runs.

If something's not broke ( and is improving) don't fix it. At this stage I think playing Rice at 6 full time would be limiting what he can offer the side.

Only thing I'd change is move him to the right side of the midfield 3, think he could have much more impact bombing towards/into the box without forcing him to either cut inside or shoot/pass with his left foot.

With Saka being so potent cutting in on the right I could easily see Dec be super effective both underlapping and overlapping on the right and getting into good shooting or cutback positions.

 

[Nunowoolmez]

 

[Riou]

 

[Riou]

Have to say, thought he was even better in the away leg than the home one... free kicks were great, but overall I thought he was better in Spain.

Really liked how angry he was after Partey's booking, more of that please!

With how disciplined he and Timber were, I would be fuming if I was those two.

 

[Mitch]

 

[Riou]

Hmmmm bodied in a 50/50 v the midget Encisco in the first half, noted...

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Top all round midfielder

 

[Mitch]

 

[North5]

Easy work

 

[Thrice]

He'll go down in club history as one of those transformative signings. With him we've become a real threat again.
All we need now is a big trophy and he has club legend status locked in.

 

[db10_therza]

Only question really is who will get their statue first? Vieira or Rice?

 

[MaraDon]

Top all round midfielder

but but but play him as a DM.

 

[Penn_]

Would still like to see him release the ball a fraction quicker in the final third. Once he nails that there’s no debate where you play him.

 

[Fabregasm]

Would still like to see him release the ball a fraction quicker in the final third. Once he nails that there’s no debate where you play him.

This advice should go to Ødegaard instead in my opinion

 

[Batman]

Would still like to see him release the ball a fraction quicker in the final third. Once he nails that there’s no debate where you play him.

I'd like to see him be more selfish in the final third and finish off some of those runs from deep he makes. He could be Gerrard if he felt like it. He's that talented. The only thing holding him back is that little bit of indecision at times.

 

[Trilly]

He's pushing on leaps and bounds as an offensive threat, I really struggle to see why you'd move him tbh.

Partey isn't at 6 playing as a traditional DM, he's a deep lying playmaker, that's not really Rice's forte. One of Rice's flaws is that he can at times lack a bit of guile and snappy, clever ball progression in that area of the pitch.

Rice still gets through the defensive work at 8 and has the engine to still produce the offensive play and runs.

If something's not broke ( and is improving) don't fix it. At this stage I think playing Rice at 6 full time would be limiting what he can offer the side.

Yeah I think you're better off trying to get Rice to be more decisive in the final third than become a deep lying playmaker type. He's much further away from that than he is from being a legitimate B2B midfeilder.

Rice as a prime Casemiro type #6 is still the best role for him (but not the team). It's the one role where he ticks every single box and I think he's already the best in the world at it.

Having said that, it's a somewhat limited role and a waste of a player with the engine to effectively play two roles (Chelsea realised the same thing with Kante) so I'm not mad at this B2B experiment. If it fails we can always just put him back at the 6.