Opinion: Why Declan Rice must return to Arsenal’s no.8 role
Declan Rice has made a slow start to the campaign and some believe a tactical reshuffle by Mikel Arteta is responsible. The England international has recently been in excellent form with the national team. Featuring in a box-to-box role for the Three Lions, Rice scored a goal against Andorra and made two assists against Serbia […] The post Opinion: Why Declan Rice must return to Arsenal’s no.8 role appeared first on Just Arsenal News.
RR aka Rishi-Raj
Declan Rice has made a slow start to the campaign and some believe a tactical reshuffle by Mikel Arteta is responsible. The England international has recently been in excellent form with the national team. Featuring in a box-to-box role for the Three Lions, Rice scored a goal against Andorra and made two assists against Serbia in World Cup qualifying, while in the first three games for Arsenal, he could only manage a single assist. The contrast does not stop there, Declan Rice also fired more shots against Serbia (7) than in the first three games of the campaign for Arsenal (4). The stat perfectly illustrates the different roles h
e has been forced to play this campaign and also his most productive role.
Rice played deeper in Arsenal’s reshuffle
Mikel Arteta has played Declan Rice deeper this campaign, utilising the England international in a double pivot with Martin Zubimendi. Rice has even played deeper than the Spaniard at times, dropping in between the central defenders to spring attacks from the back. His early stint in defensive midfield has also coincided with Riccardo Calafiori’s prominence in the starting line-up. The Italian is more attack minded than Myles Lewis-Skelly, attacking open spaces aggressively on the left side which also means he rarely inverts into midfield. The presence of a double pivot is therefore utilised to provide more balance and it has even contributed to our excellent defensive record at the start of the campaign, Arsenal are yet to concede a goal from open play.
Why Rice is more effective as a no.8
Despite its effectiveness in providing solidity, I strongly believe we would be better off with Declan Rice in a box-to-box role. Since converting to a number 8 role midway through his debut campaign, Rice has been one of our most effective attacking players. He made 19 goal contributions last term, more than any other Arsenal midfielder in what was the most productive campaign in his senior career. In fact, only Bukayo Saka made more goal contributions last season. Arsenal profited from some of his late runs into the box last term, while his presence in the left half space provided more in regard to combination play. He rarely made forays forward in the first three games of the campaign and I am not saying it greatly impacted our attacking play, but his presence was surely missed in that area of the pitch. On a more personal note, the player has started really slowly and even though I recognise the fact that he usually starts campaigns this way, his struggles in a deeper role cannot be overlooked. This is further compounded by his impressive displays in a more expansive role for England.
The season is still in its infancy and we cannot overlook the adaptation period required for the new signings to embed themselves into the squad. However, Mikel Arteta should revert Declan Rice back to his best position, in my opinion.
These are my thoughts and opinions, let me get yours in the comments.
Benjamin Kenneth
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The post Opinion: Why Declan Rice must return to Arsenal’s no.8 role appeared first on Just Arsenal News.
