EPL TALK: Never mind the title race, Arsenal's midfielder maestro Declan Rice is already the player of the season
In his debut season, he has carried the weary Gunners to the very end, making every teammate better with his irrepressibility
DECLAN Rice didn’t need to make that run. He didn’t need to score that goal. Time was up and Bournemouth were down and out. But Rice couldn’t help himself. He never can. He’s an irrepressible puppy. There’s always another stick to chase.
So he found the space, demanded the pass, buried Arsenal’s third goal and reminded the rest of us why he’s the English Premier League’s player of the season, whatever happens in the final games. He’s the only player because he’s every player.
He’s a left-back, quarter-back and an auxiliary centre-back. He’s a midfield ball carrier and ball player. He’s in the hole or through the middle. He’s a back-four babysitter, a front-three feeder, a goal scorer, a goal provider, always the joker, but never a clown.
He’s forever laughing, but there’s nothing funny about his game. Just ask David Moyes. The West Ham United manager was asked to explain the Hammers’ latest defensive collapse as their playing style – AKA Moyes’ archaic "keep it tight and hit ‘em on the break" routine – collapsed again. Moyes only needed two words. Declan Rice.
There were others, such as “protecting”, “limiting”, “defensive”, “midfield” and “attacks”, which mean different things to different people. But they are all things to Rice, diverse facets to one’s man game. The 25-year-old was already becoming the best holding midfielder in the league at West Ham. At Arsenal, he’s simplified his designation. He’s becoming the best midfielder.
Three managers have acknowledged Rice’s elevated status. At West Ham, Moyes lamented the loss of Rice's defensive cover, as his back four appeared to play blind man’s bluff with themselves, spinning around in circles as Chelsea helped themselves to five goals. At Arsenal, Arteta praised his midfielder’s ability to switch positions and surge forward, as he did against Bournemouth. And at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp gave Rice a hug.
Not recently. The pair embraced just before Christmas, following a contest that offered gifts to neither Liverpool nor Arsenal. They drew 1-1 at Anfield, a decent result for both sides at the time, but one that now feels vaguely catastrophic. But the occasion marked the inexorable rise of the Gunners’ talisman. This was Arsenal AR. After Rice.
Before Rice, this match was lost. Indeed, this match should’ve been lost. This was Liverpool at their insouciant, unstoppable best, not yet burdened by the knowledge of a departing icon, not yet battered by 12.30pm kickoffs and dispiriting scheduling complaints. They attacked in neat, tidal patterns, each wave more determined than the last.
At times, Rice appeared to stand alone in an act of futility, like Patrick Swayze in the final moments of Point Break, waiting for the inevitable deluge. But Rice countered with a surreal, breaking the waves exercise; mopping up and plugging leaks everywhere.
He tackled, intercepted and touched the ball more than anyone else around him. At the final whistle, Klopp hugged Rice. He probably wanted to kill him. Liverpool had Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and enough attacking penetration to win. But they didn’t have Rice. So they didn’t win.
Remarkable impact on both ends of the pitch
But Arsenal were still Arsenal, right? Gary Neville’s panic-stricken Arsenal. The temperamental-teenagers-on-prom-night Arsenal. The bottlers. The chokers. The Arsenal that lost three and drew three of their final nine games last season. The kind of Arsenal that found banana skins at the likes of Bournemouth and went down like Kai Havertz in the box.
But this is a different Arsenal and a different Havertz now, thanks to the calming presence of their everywhere man. Rice protects the back four, which liberates midfield and allows Havertz to break free and win a penalty. Rice crashes into the box and plays in Leandro Trossard with a lovely flick. Rice makes an obscene, injury-time run to bury his seventh goal of the season (to go with 10 assists in all competitions.)
Against Bournemouth, Rice was Rodri for the first goal, Kevin de Bruyne for the second and perhaps even Erling Haaland for the third. Quibble over those comparisons, if you like, but not the productivity and artistry behind another masterclass of understated dominance.
Arteta bought a holding midfielder, but always had an eye on adding goals and assists to Rice’s repertoire. The Arsenal manager succeeded, but even he must be privately surprised by the speed of Rice’s evolution. To labour the Manchester City comparisons, Arteta paid £105 million for his Rodri and got half a Phil Foden thrown in.
And one manager’s gain may be a slight pain for another. Never mind Moyes’ loss, Gareth Southgate must now contend with what he’s about to inherit ahead of Euro 2024, i.e. the most complete English midfielder of his generation. How can the Three Lions not venture into the tournament with an audacious line-up, now that Arsenal have laid down a simple template? Just throw in Rice and let England attack. Or throw in Rice and let him attack. He’s already marching to the beat of his own drum, playing to his own rhythm.
It’s hard to recall a player having such a remarkable impact at both ends of the pitch. Arsenal have scored a goal more than Manchester City. Their 15th clean sheet of the season confirmed David Raya as the Golden Glove winner. And Havertz is no longer an enigma wrapped in a Chelsea reject shirt, but an assured, attacking asset. Rice is not solely responsible for these positive developments, obviously, but how many realistically happen without him?
Manchester City are still likely to lift a fourth consecutive title because they just about boast the greatest squad this season, but they cannot make a similar claim with the greatest player. That accolade belongs to Arsenal. Rice’s indefatigable consistency is worth every individual trophy and trinket on offer.
He deserves silverware of greater substance, too. Luckily, the Euros are waiting.
Rice’s indefatigable consistency is worth every individual trophy and trinket on offer. He deserves silverware of greater substance, too. Luckily, the Euros are waiting.
Neil Humphreys is an award-winning football writer and a best-selling author, who has covered the English Premier League since 2000 and has written 28 books.
Follow the new EPL season with the "Footballing Weekly" show on YouTube, Spotify and Acast.
For more football news, visit our Football page on Yahoo!
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.
