'Below par': Pundit says £25m Arsenal player has been even better than Declan Rice recently
11/12/2024 01:45 PM
It's been a disappointing season so far for Arsenal.
The Gunners are sitting outside the top four at the moment despite being tipped for a title push at the beginning of the season, and they've failed to win any of their last four Premier League games.
Arsenal haven't been at their best as of late, and a number of their key players have been criticised.
Kai Havertz's recent performances have been questioned, while Leandro Trossard has also been criticised recently.
Declan Rice also hasn't been at his best this season, and speaking on the Handbrake Off Podcast, Adriean Clarke has been discussing Rice and his midfield partner, Mikel Merino.
Mikel Merino has been outshining Rice
Clarke claimed that the £25m Spaniard has actually been better than Rice recently.
The pundit says that Rice's recent performances have been below par and that Merino was actually better than him against Chelsea.
"Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I mean, our midfield hasn’t been at its best this season, for obvious reasons without Odegaard. But I do think that Declan Rice, by his very, very high standards, has been below par," Clarke said.
"And for the most part, in this game, I think Merino actually did outshine him when he came on. I thought Merino looked pretty good, pretty assured in possession, almost scored a couple of goals."
Is Declan Rice fully fit?
Rice hasn't been great this season, but that may be excused for numerous reasons.
Indeed, Rice played almost every single minute for Arsenal last season and endured a gruelling campaign at Euro 2024
| Declan Rice in 2024 | |
| Games played | 51 |
| Full matches completed | 41 |
| Minutes played | 4,278 |
| Games missed | 2 |
Rice's schedule this year would leave even the fittest player struggling, and to make matters worse, Rice had a foot injury heading into the Chelsea match.
Yes, Merino did look better than Rice in this game, but Merino is much fresher having played fewer games this year.
More than anything else, it really does look like Rice needs a rest right now, as he doesn't appear to be fully fit.