Emmanuel Petit has given his theory on why Declan Rice has performed better for Arsenal this year than England after their most recent Euro 2024 fixture.
The Three Lions endured arguably their worst tournament performance to date after Gareth Southgate, as England drew 1-1 with Denmark in a game that saw the home nation hardly create a chance or even test the Scandinavian nation.
Whilst Rice won praise from Arsenal fans after the match, the 25-year-old was clearly off the boil, with Alan Shearer raising questions over why the midfielder was as poor as he was for England against Denmark.
Yet Arsenal legend Petit might now have the answer.
Rice yet to find connections at England like he does at Arsenal
Speaking on TalkSport, the former French international suggested that Rice has flourished at Arsenal due to his relationship with his teammates, something the midfielder might be struggling to forge with this England squad given how much has changed since the last major tournament.
Petit said when asked why Rice is struggling for England after Thursday’s draw with Denmark: “When I look at what he was doing with Arsenal, it’s a bunch of teammates, you know, friends, and they are all playing with closed eyes all the time because they have trust and confidence in each other.
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“I don’t think this is the case because the balance of the team is not right. When you play in midfield, you can be everywhere but nowhere in the meantime, and this is exactly what’s going on with Declan Rice. Sometimes when I look at him, especially yesterday when I looked at the game, I am thinking, he should be deeper, he should be higher, he should be pressing, he should be more present in the midfield.
“Even with the ball, sometimes he lost some easy ball, I didn’t recognise it. I think the confidence is not right, and I think the balance of the team doesn’t help him.”
Rice needs to find common ground between Arsenal and England to make this summer a success
Rice has been one of England’s best performers since becoming a mainstay for Southgate during his time at West Ham, and whilst the midfielder has improved for club and country since moving to Arsenal, it’s clear that Thursday against Denmark was a notable low-point.
And Petit’s theory could hold some ground, with Rice now in a position where he needs to find common ground between playing for Arsenal and England if he’s to end the season with silverware for only the third time in his career.
Indeed, the Three Lions are dependent on Rice’s form in midfield to get results, and the Arsenal star has to crack the code with his new England teammates if he’s to push Southgate and company to success at this summer’s Euros.
Arsenal winners and losers at Euro 2024
In this week’s episode, Will Jones and Rahul Lakhani discussed the first few days of the European Championships. With Arsenal players such as Kai Havertz and Kieran Tierney experiencing mixed starts to the tournament, the pair assessed which Gunners were the winners and losers from the group stages so far.
There was some talk about transfers based off the Euros, with Arsenal-linked Amadou Onana’s display for Belgium discussed, whilst Leandro Trossard’s poor performance was analysed, and Bukayo Saka’s sensational England showing lauded.