Arsenal have been slow to hit their stride this season but Declan Rice has made an instant impact following his record £105m arrival from West Ham; watch Arsenal vs Tottenham live on Sky Sports Premier League from 1pm on Sunday; kick-off 2pm
Rice has already been used as both a No 8 and a No 6. Initially, he had Thomas Partey as an inverted full-back to his right. More recently, it has been Oleksandr Zinchenko to his left. He has had to adapt accordingly, all while adjusting to a totally new style of play.
Consider this example early in the game, when he could be seen tackling Bruno Fernandes in the Arsenal half. Rice, having showed impressive alertness to intercept Antony's pass just inside the Manchester United half, takes the ball around the Brazilian winger and then sends a through-ball towards Havertz and Martinelli to his left, where Arsenal have an overload.
There is data to prove it, too. At West Ham, Rice had an average of roughly two realistic passing options at the point of releasing the ball following his carries. At Arsenal, that number is closer to three. "He has got the timing to arrive in the box," said Arteta."His role is to start in that deeper position and drive forward from it," said Carragher."I think that is where he is at his best," added theRice certainly has the engine for it. According to Premier League tracking data, only three players - Dejan Kulusevski, Fernandes and Philip Billing - have covered more ground than him so far this season.
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