Declan Rice | Arsenal £105m player

Defensive midfielders are crucial. I think it's an outdated view you have to be honest. A guaranteed starter defensive mid for a top four club is worth the same, if not more than a centre back or a full back or even a keeper. Maybe not as much as a striker as they are very hard to come across at the top level. In a world where Grealish, Caiceido are going for 100million plus and many others going for 80 90, Rice is a bargain.

Im not saying they aren’t crucial, there’s just no way in my opinion you can consider 105m a bargain for one. You use Grealish as an example why not Szoboszlai or Gilmour? 50-60m would have been a bargain for him, he’s a great player but Arsenal most certainly over paid for him.
 
He is being slagged here, but he crushed your midfield. Won everything, and scored the winner. Sour grapes spring to mind, and I understand it.
 
:lol: this is how you tell the world you've never played football in your life without telling them that. How did you not notice how good he was on most aspects whether it was winning the ball from our mid or carrying it and passing. Forget the goal, that was lucky and a rare scenario that he found himself in with so much space.

Honestly, only someone who hasn't played the game before could say what you just said.

I know passions are high. I'm fuming but let's not be ridiculous.
I would imagine he probably has the least amount of passes out of either midfield, I might be wrong. For a player in the position to have the most passes.

He was also out of position for rashfords goals and did a poor challenge which led to the offside goal.
 
:lol: this is how you tell the world you've never played football in your life without telling them that. How did you not notice how good he was on most aspects whether it was winning the ball from our mid or carrying it and passing. Forget the goal, that was lucky and a rare scenario that he found himself in with so much space.

Honestly, only someone who hasn't played the game before could say what you just said.

I know passions are high. I'm fuming but let's not be ridiculous.
You meant the midfield that had more passes and more possession than Arsenal’s? The facf of the matter is there was no need for them to do anything because they knew we would muck it up the moment we leave our own half. Rice didn’t do anything special that a half competent DM wouldn’t have accomplished, when was the last time Bruno win a duel against a DM, or Eriksen?

I know many in this forum have a hard on for him and you seem to be one of them, but ask yourself this question, is Arsenal a better side with him in there instead of Partey? No. They are in fact worse at creating chances and dominating possession than when they had a midfielder who they just sold for a fifth of his price. Us being a bunch of wet wipes doesn’t make him a world beater.
 
I would imagine he probably has the least amount of passes out of either midfield, I might be wrong. For a player in the position to have the most passes.

He was also out of position for rashfords goals and did a poor challenge which led to the offside goal.

He had the most.
 
He is being slagged here, but he crushed your midfield. Won everything, and scored the winner. Sour grapes spring to mind, and I understand it.

Fair play to him for winning the game for them but your assessment doesn’t seem right at all in terms of how good he was. I don’t think that anyone before that corner was thinking that well I wish we had Rice in our team. He was alright but didn’t feel that he did anything special till that goal
 
I would imagine he probably has the least amount of passes out of either midfield, I might be wrong. For a player in the position to have the most passes.

He was also out of position for rashfords goals and did a poor challenge which led to the offside goal.
:lol: I think Rice was also to blame for the traffic jams outside the Emirates aswell.

In all seriousness. Please explain to me how he was out of position during Rashfords goal? If he was 'in position' would Eriksen not have made the through ball to Rashford? I'm genuinely confused.

Also the foul leading up our offside goal, I'm trying to get a clip of it but it's too blurry on twitter.
 
Yet still played better than anyone in our midfield.
Far from. I would say worst midfielder today on the pitch. By mile. Lucky with VAR and refs goal. Odegaard was best midfielder followed by Eriksen.
 
He is being slagged here, but he crushed your midfield. Won everything, and scored the winner. Sour grapes spring to mind, and I understand it.

You obviously understand nothing. He was a 5/10 before the deflected goal.
 
:lol: I think Rice was also to blame for the traffic jams outside the Emirates aswell.

In all seriousness. Please explain to me how he was out of position during Rashfords goal? If he was 'in position' would Eriksen not have made the through ball to Rashford? I'm genuinely confused.

Also the foul leading up our offside goal, I'm trying to get a clip of it but it's too blurry on twitter.
He was not shielding the defense.
 
He is being slagged here, but he crushed your midfield. Won everything, and scored the winner. Sour grapes spring to mind, and I understand it.

He was invisible for 90 minutes, barely mentioned his name. Lucky Lampard deflected goal as well.
 
He was not shielding the defense.
Never realised until now it is as simple as that. Next match I think Arteta will tell him he needs to shield the defense more and not get ever get caught by a beautiful through ball to a winger like Rashford. He's a fraud.
 
It's as simple as that. Next match I think Arteta will tell him he needs to shield the defense more and not get ever get caught by a beautiful through ball to a winger like Rashford. He's a fraud.
He is the player who should be stopping the pass.
 
Thought he played well
 
Rice is the kind of player our fans will praise to the heavens because he plays for a rival but would criticize weekly if he were at United because his passes are largely useless/sideways and he's more passion than quality.
 
Didn't notice the big lamp post today apart from his jammy goal. Feck him.
 
Can't stand him whatsoever and such a fluke of a goal too. Probably letting my Irish bias seep in there.

Will be a good player for Arsenal, but I'm still not that bothered we didn't blow £100m on him. Especially when you think of him in terms of the all-time great PL mids.
 
Man of match against us yet again. The player we really needed this summer.
 
have they lost their ability to camp teams in their own half with him there and not Partey. He's great though
 
Not sure what people are saying, he was pretty good.

Very good first half, dropped off a bit 2nd half but came up big in the end.
 
Can't stand him.
feck him an his "journey"
Forgot he was on the pitch if it weren't for his fluke goal.
 
Rice is the kind of player our fans will praise to the heavens because he plays for a rival but would criticize weekly if he were at United because his passes are largely useless/sideways and he's more passion than quality.
Remember when the Caf salivated over Schneiderlin? Rice is about the same level of skill with better physicality.
 
Of all the midfielders on the pitch?

That much is true. Comfortably as well.
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The goal will make up for his performance but he's no where near a 100M player. He's good defensively and thats it.
 
Thought he was class tbh. Harried and was present in attack and supporting the defence. Won them the game and was the difference in the end. We would probably have won it with him on our side. That's the difference.
 
have they lost their ability to camp teams in their own half with him there and not Partey. He's great though
Partially, but it’s the black hole that is Havertz that’s the bigger issue to that end. Jesus on the pitch and Havertz off it (for anyone) and I expect we can consistently dominate in that way again.
 
Partially, but it’s the black hole that is Havertz that’s the bigger issue to that end. Jesus on the pitch and Havertz off it (for anyone) and I expect we can consistently dominate in that way again.
Put Partey where Havertz played today and you can do that