Declan Rice has now been speaking about something Mikel Arteta did at Arsenal which initially took him a while to get used to.
The England international is arguably a contender to win the PFA Player of the Season award after a stellar debut campaign at the Emirates Stadium, following his £105m move from West Ham.
Arsenal’s No.41 has bolstered the Gunners through the middle, offering a real attacking threat in a No.8 role alongside Martin Odegaard, while also notching a handful of assists with some devilish corners.
However, there is one thing Mikel Arteta did at Arsenal which took Declan Rice “a lot of time” to get used to…
What Mikel Arteta did with Declan Rice
Well, the man from Kingston upon Thames made a name for himself at West Ham by shining in a No.6 role at the base of midfield – where his anticipation skills saw him become one of the best ball winners around.
Arteta took note of that specific quality, and decided to utilise Rice’s intensity higher up the pitch to pen opponents inside their own half – a tactic that seems to be working quite well as Arsenal sit top of the Premier League.
However, it initially took the 25-year-old quite some time to get used to the change.
Rice told Sky Sports: “The way he sees me playing in his team was very different to what I was used to, so it took a lot of time to get used to that. The more and more it’s gone on I’ve really enjoyed it. With the ball I’ve been playing in a completely different position.
“He’s been telling me about arrival in the box, body orientation, turning in pockets. Completely different to what I would do in a No.6 role.”
You wouldn’t think Rice initially struggled to get to grips with this change – given how impressively he has performed in the new position.
Many at Arsenal are actually said to be shocked by how quick a learner Rice is.
The £250,000-a-week man has made 39 appearances in all competitions so far this season, scoring six goals while also providing seven assists.
Arsenal have a plan
We absolutely love to see a development like this.
Nobody would have questioned Arteta for signing Rice to be used solely as a No.6 – and simply being content with seeing the same level of performances he delivered for West Ham.
However, the Spaniard noticed a way to get more out of the Londoner’s unique traits and actually making him a better footballer, just like we’ve seen with Kai Havertz in north London as well.
The German looks a different player to the one we saw at Chelsea.
It is the sign of a top coach, and Arteta – as well as Rice – deserves credit for ensuring the position change turned out so successfully.
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