Why Declan Rice is the complete package for Arsenal

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At the present moment, Declan Rice is one of the five best midfielders on the planet. You can see why Arsenal splashed the cash of £105 million for his services at the heart of their midfield, for the range of qualities he possesses as either a ‘6’ or ‘8’. He’s played as a ‘Deep-Lying-Playmaker’ for a more possession-based team like England, and held down the base of midfield as more of a ‘Midfield Destroyer’ within West Ham‘s counter-attacking schemes. He’s the complete package for Arsenal, and I think he might even be one of the most ‘complete’ midfielders in the world. Here is why Declan Rice will be a transformative signing for the Gunners.

POSITIONING & ROLE

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Due to the vast array of qualities he possesses on and off-the-ball, Declan Rice is equally capable of playing as either a ‘6’ or ‘8’. For Arsenal, we will likely see the Brit play at the base of their midfield, as he does for Gareth Southgate’s England.

In the England set-up, Rice has been more of a tempo-setting safe and simple passer of the ball, keeping the game ticking along as he anchors the midfield and screens the opposition’s attackers. But at the drop of a dime, he can always display his long-passing range, class and composure on the ball, and the way he fearlessly drives into space.

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We saw this all the time for West Ham, where he made himself the figurehead for winning back possession and kick-starting counter attacks. As part of that defensive role, Rice consistently ranked in the top 5% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions. But as we’ll come to discuss, he also made himself a complete nuisance in that ‘Destroyer’ role, breaking up play and timing his tackles to perfection.

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After winning back possession, he then made himself the one to spur the team on. His dominance on the ball is a scary sight to see, given his imposing frame and the way he so effortlessly glides into space while keeping his touches away from charging defenders.

For a tactical plan predicated on quick attacking transitions, this served West Ham extraordinarily well. But in their longer moments on the ball, Rice could also control games with his ability to dictate possession and spray line-breaking passes.

His forward passing percentage of 83.4% across the last calendar year puts him above the likes of Rodri, Kimmich and Busquets; not to mention his new teammates Jorginho and Thomas Partey. Now with even better players to receive those passes, we might see Rice’s numbers in possession skyrocket all the more.

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With this in mind, Arsenal have clearly signed a jack of all trades to play at the base of their midfield. But Rice is also fully capable of stepping into that Xhaka vacancy whenever required, due to his box-to-box mobility. This will be critical in unlocking the best out of more attack-minded players like Ødegaard and Havertz, knowing that they have someone capable of covering significant ground in behind. He’s that critical missing piece to the team puzzle, and should be set to play nearly every game for the Gunners.

ATTACKING STYLE OF PLAY

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Why, you ask? Because Declan Rice dominates the ball better than most in the Premier League. He has that Rodri air of class about him in central midfield, making himself extraordinarily difficult to dispossess.

It’s almost as though you don’t want to press him, as you know he’s going to break you. As soon as he sees the spaces to advance into, he’s never shy about taking them.

But he knows exactly when and where to shift the ball through that constant scanning of the field. He never lets that side of his game die, scanning several times before receiving, and several more times afterward. When you watch him play, just watch how many times Rice scans for his surroundings, and how that allows him to know exactly when to play the pass into space for his mate.

Immediately after winning the ball, he’ll have a look to both his right and left, assessing the danger of the opposition. He then stares straight ahead, seeing his teammates and the opposition, before making those brilliant passes.

He just knows exactly how much time and space he has in any situation, and how to adjust accordingly. This is critical for any ‘#6’ in a possession-based system, where Rice will likely find himself under pressure close to his own goal. His ability to escape that pressure with ease and then drive the ball forward will allow players like Havertz and Gabriel Jesus to work their magic further ahead, and not feel as though they constantly need to drop into space to pick up possession.

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But that sublime scanning also allows Rice to pull off his remarkable technique in executing long-passes.

In the clip above, watch how Rice scans for the opposition (and likely the teammate he knows he wants to pass to), understanding exactly how much time and space he has to receive the ball. Knowing that information, he’s then able to take his first touch into space the other direction, and prepare himself for a sublime switch of play.

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The 24-year-old can use this superpower from a deeper-lying ‘#6’ role, but this will also come in handy for Arsenal in their ability to break down attacks inside the final third. It’s never been his game to get on the end of goals and make himself a genuine attacking threat, but he even has that quality in his locker when called upon.

All and all, Declan Rice offers so much more than Thomas Partey and Jorginho before him, to an Arsenal side that will want to dominate possession and make their presence felt every single match. He is now far and away the most imposing player to help the Gunners manage that feat, and should start every single game.

DEFENSIVE STYLE OF PLAY

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As noted, Declan Rice must be one of the most difficult players in the Premier League to dispossess. He’s absolutely phenomenal on the ball. But the scariest thing? He’s one of the best readers of the game in and out of possession. This serves him extraordinarily well in defensive phases, where he’s constantly adjusting his position to the moment, and cutting off the necessary spaces at the exact right moments.

First and foremost his timing of challenges is second to none. Possibly quite literally. Among our top twenty ‘Deep-Lying-Playmakers of 2022-23’, only Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka won a higher percentage of his defensive duels (71.3% to Rice’s 69.5%). He backs that up with a formidable 62% tackle success rate, compared to Jorginho’s 21% for the Gunners (yikes!). After a bit of side shuffling and low-body preparation, he’ll wait for that big touch from the attacker before diving into the tackle and coming away cleanly.

Importantly, many of these tackles came in moments of transition. Rice had to time his challenges with precision throughout every campaign for the Hammers, often acting as that key player in their rest-defense. He constantly had to cover for out of position full-backs, whilst balancing the responsibilities of his own position in cutting out central channels. This is a difficult line to walk. But Rice’s ability to scan the field and prioritize the most pressing area of the pitch to cover allowed him to completely dominate defensive transitions.

This is arguably one of the most essential traits for a defensive midfielder to absolutely nail, as it can allow a possession-based team to stay in control, and all the attack-minded players to continue their attacking brilliance. His mobility to cover ground in place of whomever Arteta wants to advance into the attack will simply be essential for the Gunners.

For Declan Rice, it also doesn’t matter who you are or how big of a reputation you have. He enters every battle fearlessly, and like an eagle-eyed battler, races into position and then waits for his moment to pounce.

But there’s something else you might not have seen or read about yet. Many players will have a tendency to see the player in possession of the ball, and focus their attention on stopping that player. But the 24-year-old will often prioritize cutting off space first. It then makes the timing of his tackles all the easier, since the space to advance has already been eliminated.

In cutting off that space, he allows his teammates more time to fall back into position, creating a higher likelihood that his team can regain possession safely. So patiently, he waits for the moment. He cuts off the space first, and then easily wins the challenge on the next player, because now there’s no room for them to advance.

It’s the same for his ability to smartly intercept passes. He’ll leave tiny spaces open, knowing the opposition will want to play passes into those areas. But then he reacts quicker than anyone else around him to cut off that option.

Anticipating and intercepting involves a lot of mind-reading, but also intentionality behind where you entice the opposition to play. Declan Rice accomplishes both of those tasks magnificently, allowing those interception numbers to skyrocket higher than most of his peers (including possession-adjusted interceptions).

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Given the way that Arteta wants to control matches start to finish, Rice will be essential in allowing the team to do so. He can lead a defensive transition and win the ball back all on his own, and his leadership in midfield will be critical in helping to organize the lines.

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All things considered, Declan Rice is more than worth the money (even if all transfer fees like this are somewhat ludicrous). He will be critical for the Gunners next season as they look to challenge for the title, and could even go on to show everyone why he’s one of the best Premier League players we’ve ever seen.

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