Manchester City have managed to beat Arsenal to the Premier League title in the two previous campaigns.
In City’s Treble-winning season, they finished five points ahead of the Gunners in the Premier League table.
After that, the 2023/24 campaign saw Pep Guardiola’s side finish just two points above the North London club.
Now though, numerous players for both sides are currently representing their countries in the 2024 European Championship in Germany.
In fact, two players, one from City and one from Arsenal, have been the subject of conversation, with one former top-flight player claiming that the Gunners figure wouldn’t have a chance of playing for the Manchester club.
James McClean thinks ‘overrated’ Declan Rice is nowhere near as good as Rodri
Speaking on RTE Sport, former West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City player James McClean had this to say about Declan Rice and how he compares to Rodri.
He said: “I think Declan Rice is very overrated. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a very good footballer, but the way the English media wax lyrical about him is completely over the top.
“For me, he’s not world-class. To me, world-class is someone who gets in every side in the world. I don’t think he does that. I don’t think he gets in the Man City side ahead of Rodri.
“I know Toni Kroos is now retiring, but to me Toni Kroos is world-class. He dictates the game, Rodri dictates the game, I don’t think Declan Rice does that.
“He’s not someone who is going get on the half turn and play passes forward. He is very good at what he does.
“They play the same role, so why can’t they do the same things? If you’re going to give him this much hype and reputation, then surely he should be able to do what they do? That’s get the ball on the half turn, play passes forward, and dictate the play. I don’t think he does that.
“He’s good at what he does. He sees danger and puts out fires, but for the hype that surrounds him, I don’t think it’s justified.”
Rodri has proved himself to be one of the best midfielders in the world
This isn’t the first time the two midfielders have been discussed in the same breath, as Danny Murphy said last month that Rodri’s technical ability on the ball in tight areas eclipses Rice.
Looking back over the previous Premier League campaign, the Spaniard racked up more key passes (49 vs 47), shots on target (22 vs 20) and recoveries (235 vs 178) than the Arsenal star.
However, with the Englishman making more successful tackles (51 vs 43), interceptions (44 vs 26) and blocks (37 vs 32) than Rodri, this shows why McClean thinks Rice is very capable in terms of the defensive side of the game.
In our view, while both midfielders are two of the best in the Premier League right now, we have no doubts about which player the City fans will think is the better out of the two.