✍️ OFFICIAL Declan Rice

[Heavy Duty Rom]

Rice suit us so much if you watch him today or season overall he carry the ball he very good passer he defend well that all Xhaka was doing here of course Xhaka more aggressive and he run into final 3rd box more. but we clearly want someone who not only good with ball but physically very good too if we miss out there nobody near Xhaka profile in market Caicedo is more DM.

I’m not sure he does. As a 6 in our system, you can’t be stiff like Rice or Xhaka, you need to be able to drop a shoulder and turn, create angles, disguise passes, progress the ball. Being stiff is one of the main reasons Xhaka was moved further forward.

And in Xhakas position, you need to be able to play in pockets, drift wide, get in the box, pick a pass. Not sold this profile fits Rice either.

 

[sergio_giorgini]

Unimpressive performance against Fiorentina. Amrabat looked a lot better if we are being honest here.

Playing in a better possession based team helps.

Rice should look better for us. But he has to go up a level or two still.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Prepare for West Ham labeling bid as insulting for a Captain of a European Champions team.

if they find 90M insulting then we should just cancel football lol.

 

[Beany]

 

[HaffBR]

Fede Valverde is a much better profile in the 8 position imo, actually even better than Frenkie de Jong imo, because of his steal and defensive contribution while losing close to nothing in build up, playmaking aspects. Both clear of Rice as a 8 imo.

 

[Heavy Duty Rom]

Fede Valverde is a much better profile in the 8 position imo, actually even better than Frenkie de Jong imo, because of his steal and defensive contribution while losing close to nothing in build up, playmaking aspects. Both clear of Rice as a 8 imo.

Valverde is nowhere near De Jong. De Jong is one of the rarest profiles in football.

 

[Batman]

I’m not sure he does. As a 6 in our system, you can’t be stiff like Rice or Xhaka, you need to be able to drop a shoulder and turn, create angles, disguise passes, progress the ball. Being stiff is one of the main reasons Xhaka was moved further forward.

And in Xhakas position, you need to be able to play in pockets, drift wide, get in the box, pick a pass. Not sold this profile fits Rice either.

Arteta pretty obviously knows who fits his system so I would imagine that Rice will fit where he's played.

 

[HaffBR]

Playing in a better possession based team helps.

Rice should look better for us. But he has to go up a level or two still.

He will make Arsenal's possession worse imo, Arsenal will improve physically in the midfield tho.

 

[Heavy Duty Rom]

Arteta pretty obviously knows who fits his system so I would imagine that Rice will fit where he's played.

Like Vieira?

 

[HaffBR]

Valverde is nowhere near De Jong. De Jong is one of the rarest profiles in football.

Rare because of what? I saw too much hype on De Jong and Pedri is already a better player than him imo. For me there is no significant difference between De Jong and Valverde, with the difference that Valverde is much more involved defensively, De Jong has a better turn, but even there Valverde is very good indeed, certainly better than Rice or Xhaka.

 

[Rex Stone]

 

[<<reed>>]

what winning a trophy does to a MFer

 

[GoonerJeeves]

Colney tomorrow morning it is.

 

[Heavy Duty Rom]

Rare because of what? I saw too much hype on De Jong and Pedri is already a better player than him imo. For me there is no significant difference between De Jong and Valverde, with the difference that Valverde is much more involved defensively, De Jong has a better turn, but even there Valverde is very good indeed, certainly better than Rice or Xhaka.

De Jong was the best midfielder in La Liga this season. You cannot press him, he will just pass or dribble his way out of trouble and always progresses the ball. He’s switched on defensively, good in the air, he is just so so good.

Valverde is a bit of a highlights player imo. He’s had an indifferent season. Madrid fans even want him to be converted to RB because he can’t control the midfield.

 

[HaffBR]

Arteta pretty obviously knows who fits his system so I would imagine that Rice will fit where he's played.

Rice is more of a "trade off player" than a upgrade imo.

 

[DuBB]

Arteta pretty obviously knows who fits his system so I would imagine that Rice will fit where he's played.

Honestly, of all fans we should understand better than most that players aren't all they seem and they can evolve, improve and coaching dictates how things play out.

"Ben White can't play RB"

"Partey's never played lone DM"

"Ødegaard is a luxury player and a 10"

"Xhaka is absolutely useless and only shows up for Switzerland"

"Is Saka really a RW though? He should probably play LW if not LB"

Our team is filled with players excelling at things and in positions most of our fanbase didn't see coming. Setting aside the fact that our team is also filled with players many of our fanbase didn't think were "good enough" when we bought them. Aouar, Maddison, Soumare, Berge, Raya, Sangare, Max Aarons, Renato Sanches... the list of players we were all so sure are better than what we got expands, then gets forgotten, then expands, and then gets forgotten...

But time and time again we play this game where we set aside all of the things we've learned and start from scratch.

Rather than just wait and see how it goes, the baseline is always "this is wrong and I know better" despite the amount of times we (collectively) have been proved wrong.

And then continue to hold the 3 signings that went wrong as the standard, ignoring the 7 that went right.

Tiring.

Same old Arsenal fan s**t

 

[Nunowoolmez]

If we after Cancelo, must mean we are going 3 at the back with inverted full backs & having Rice inbetween with Ode in the pocket behind front 3. Interesting.

 

[Batman]

Like Vieira?

You realize that you're basically like a reverse Manberg with that poor kid.

 

[Batman]

Rice is more of a "trade off player" than a upgrade imo.

Ok but you didn't have us on the top of the table for 249 days so I'm going to defer to Arteta.

 

[HaffBR]

De Jong was the best midfielder in La Liga this season. You cannot press him, he will just pass or dribble his way out of trouble and always progresses the ball. He’s switched on defensively, good in the air, he is just so so good.

Valverde is a bit of a highlights player imo. He’s had an indifferent season. Madrid fans even want him to be converted to RB because he can’t control the midfield.

De Jong can't control the midfield either, that's why he didn't replaced Busquets in the seasons before and was used more like Kessie was used this season, of course he didn't floriush in the half spaces like Pedri did too, so De Jong was below Busquets and Pedri in the hierarchy, sometimes even below Gavi!

Frenkie has the same profile as Fede actually, but I see Valverde as the best player, as he is more prolific going forward and has a better defensive awareness and the South American desire as well, as he will fight no matters what, De Jong was called more than once "pecho frio" by Barca fans though.

I will be OK with both actually, sure they are better than Rice at 8 position, but the Uruguayan has a better use to me.