Rice's Arsenal Future: Souness' Assessment And Final Third Development

Kenji Nakamura

5 min read

Post on May 03, 2025

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Graham Souness's Assessment of Declan Rice

Graham Souness, a renowned figure in football commentary, has offered insightful, albeit somewhat critical, commentary on Declan Rice's capabilities. While acknowledging Rice's defensive prowess and leadership qualities, Souness has also highlighted areas where he believes the midfielder needs to improve. He has often emphasized the need for Rice to enhance his attacking contributions, particularly his passing accuracy and overall impact in the final third.

• Strengths highlighted by Souness: Exceptional tackling ability, strong interceptions, commanding presence and leadership on the pitch, physical strength.
• Areas for improvement mentioned by Souness: Improving passing accuracy in the final third, increasing goal contributions (goals and assists), enhancing creativity and vision in attacking moves.
• Overall assessment by Souness: While acknowledging Rice's defensive strengths and leadership, Souness's overall assessment leans towards a need for significant improvement in Rice's attacking contributions to reach the very top level. He hasn't outright dismissed Rice's potential but suggests that significant growth is required in the attacking phases of the game.

Declan Rice's Current Final Third Capabilities

While Declan Rice's primary strength lies in his defensive midfield work, his attacking contributions shouldn't be entirely dismissed. His statistics show a player capable of impacting the game offensively, even if his numbers aren't eye-popping compared to attacking midfielders.

• Passing Range and Vision: Rice possesses a decent passing range, capable of launching long balls and playing through-balls. His vision, however, needs refinement to consistently create high-quality chances in the final third.
• Dribbling and Taking on Defenders: Rice is not known for his flamboyant dribbling skills but can effectively progress the ball through midfield using controlled dribbling and short passes.
• Goals and Assists: Rice's goal contribution is modest, reflective of his defensive responsibilities. However, he has shown flashes of attacking brilliance and the ability to score crucial goals.
• Examples of successful attacking contributions: Certain matches showcase his ability to contribute offensively, with key passes leading to goals or late-game runs into the box. These instances highlight his potential.
• Areas for improvement: Improving his shot accuracy, consistently making incisive passes in the final third, and developing a more intuitive attacking sense are crucial areas for development.
• Comparison to other midfielders: Compared to box-to-box midfielders like Kevin De Bruyne, Rice's attacking numbers lag. However, he can improve to reach a similar level of output with dedicated development.

Potential for Final Third Development at Arsenal

Arsenal's tactical system under Mikel Arteta offers a fertile ground for Rice to enhance his attacking abilities. Arteta's emphasis on possession-based football and intricate passing networks will allow Rice to develop his passing range and vision.

• Tactical System: Arsenal's possession-based style encourages midfielders to contribute to build-up play and create chances, offering Rice ample opportunities to improve.
• Playing alongside creative players: The presence of players like Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka will offer Rice opportunities to learn from and collaborate with exceptionally creative players.
• Arteta's coaching influence: Mikel Arteta's renowned coaching abilities and his proven track record in developing young players will be instrumental in improving Rice's final third capabilities.
• Specific training exercises: Focused training on improving passing accuracy, shot power, and decision-making in the final third can significantly enhance Rice's offensive output.
• Examples of similar midfielders: Arteta’s success in improving Granit Xhaka's attacking contributions provides a compelling example of how the manager can nurture midfielders’ offensive game.
• Prediction of Rice's potential attacking statistics: With dedicated coaching and playing time, Rice could reasonably improve his assist and goal tallies significantly, nearing the levels of successful, well-rounded midfielders.

Addressing Souness's Concerns about Rice's Final Third Play

Souness's concerns about Rice's final third play are valid, given his current attacking statistics. However, his potential for improvement is substantial, especially considering the supportive environment at Arsenal.

• Rebuttal to specific points: While Rice's passing accuracy and creative contributions need improvement, his potential and the training regime at Arsenal could substantially address these concerns.
• Evidence to support improvement: Examples from his previous matches show flashes of offensive potential, suggesting that with targeted training and development, he can elevate his attacking game.
• Examples of players who overcame similar criticisms: Many top midfielders have developed their offensive game after focusing on specific areas of improvement. This proves that with focused development, Rice can overcome similar criticisms.

Rice's Arsenal Future: A Verdict on Souness's Assessment

In conclusion, while Graham Souness's assessment of Declan Rice highlights valid areas for improvement, particularly in his final third play, the potential for significant development under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal is undeniable. The supportive tactical system, the presence of creative teammates, and Arteta's coaching prowess combine to create an ideal environment for Rice to enhance his attacking capabilities. His defensive solidity remains a significant asset, and with improvement in the final third, he could become a truly transformative player for Arsenal.

What are your thoughts on Declan Rice's Arsenal future? Discuss Declan Rice's final third development potential below! Let's debate Declan Rice's potential impact on Arsenal's attack!