Gary Neville has revealed which defensive midfielder is superior at defending: Rodri or Declan Rice.
Previously, Neville has claimed that as a traditional number six, Rodri is on a “different level” to Rice.
However, the popular pundit did emphasise that the Arsenal dynamo is a “sensational player.”
Both players are often compared in every aspect — defensive ability, passing, goal contributions and impact on their respective teams.
READ MORE: Cesc Fabregas declares who he thinks is better – Rodri or Declan Rice
Gary Neville chimes in on Rodri vs Declan Rice debate by declaring the better defender
In March, Rodri admitted that he tries to learn from all the best of the best in his position and Rice is one of them, in his view — emphasising that he is a specialist at covering huge amounts of ground unlike him.
The former West Ham United midfielder described the 27-year-old as a “monster” — and claimed that even the Manchester City players tell them that their team is not the same in the Spaniard’s absence.
Neville feels Rice does not provide the same degree of defensive stability that Rodri does.
On The Overlap: Fan Debate Euros Special, he said: “If we were playing a bigger team, a better team, I’d be worried, I’ll be honest with you, with that three [Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden] in midfield, I just would be. I just don’t think it gives that back four enough protection.”
“And I don’t think he’s [Declan Rice] the most…he’s not a Rodri, in terms of defensive, sort of, if you like, stability.”
Tough to split Rodri and Declan Rice in this respect
It seems like the consensus is that the Manchester City talisman is a superior player to the Englishman — with Steve Sidwell going as far as to claim that the latter would admit that himself.
While Neville seems to definitively believe Rodri is better than Rice defensively, it is difficult to split the two in this regard.
The UEFA Europa Conference League winner is one of the most athletically gifted players in world football. As a result, Rice’s presence could allow Jorginho, whose athleticism is perhaps his weakest trait play in midfield alongside him and thrive last season.
But simultaneously, the £62.5 million man reads danger in a similar vein to Sergio Busquets — eliminating the need for him to run as much as most defensive midfielders tend to.
The four-time Premier League winner’s reading of the game might be superior to that of any other holding midfielder in Europe. But the Gunners fan favourite could be classed as a midfielder who is more capable of dealing with end-to-end games due to his superior athleticism, which the City anchor admitted himself.
The prospect of Rodri and Rice playing in tandem was a distinct possibility when Manchester City were linked with the signing of the latter.
If not for Arsenal signing the England international, the Sky Blues would have had the most impregnable midfield in world football.