Mikel Arteta has elevated midfield star Declan Rice to a whole new level at Arsenal this season.
Declan Rice may have surprised a few people since his arrival at Arsenal.
The Gunners paid a club-record fee of £105 million to prise the 25-year-old away from West Ham United in the recent summer transfer window. He arrived at the Emirates Stadium with a reputation as one of the finest defensive midfielders in the Premier League. Since then, though, Mikel Arteta has helped Rice to prove that he has many more facets to his game.
The England star has now shown that he can have an impact at both ends of the pitch. Arteta has encouraged Rice to play higher up the pitch and make his presence felt in the final third. This has yielded impressive results. Rice has recorded his best season in front of goal of his career so far, as he has chipped in with six goals and six assists in the Premier League.
The Spanish coach has not kept Rice shackled at the base of the midfield. With 32-year-old veteran Jorginho able to sit deep and protect the back four, Rice has been unleashed in a more advanced role in recent weeks.
How Declan Rice has improved at Arsenal
Rice has now provided an insight into what Arteta expects of him when he is deployed in a more attack-minded position. It has also become clear that he is able to excel in such a role.
Data presented by the BBC demonstrates just how effective Rice has been this season. Compared to in his final season at West Ham, he now averages 81.8 touches per match, as opposed to 71.3. He also manages 1.4 touches in the opposition box, rather than 0.7.
By contrast, in his final season at the London Stadium, Rice won back possession for his side 9.2 times per game. That figure has fallen to just 5 times in a red and white shirt. This is largely because the Gunners enjoy more possession in general than the Hammers, but also because Arteta is less reliant upon Rice to focus his energies on breaking up opposition play.
Why Mikel Arteta will still expect more from Declan Rice
Arteta will be delighted with the progress that Rice has made this season, and it is also worth bearing in mind that the player is still adapting to life at Arsenal and the tactical demands now being made of him.
There is still good reason to believe that there is plenty more to come from the 50-cap England international.