'Disappointed': Pundit says he thought 'calm' Arsenal player would be so much better this season
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Arsenal sit third in the Premier League right now, but they haven't been all that brilliant this season.
The Gunners are actually in a bit of a slump right now, they have won just three of their last seven league games, and if that sort of form continues, questions will be asked of their title credentials.
Arsenal, of course, haven't been helped by injuries and suspensions this season, but the form of some of their star players has been questionable too.
Gabriel Martinelli hasn't been at his best this term, while Gabriel Jesus also looks off the boil.
Speaking on Inside Gooners, Adrian Clarke has been discussing Declan Rice's performances this season, and he says that he has been slightly disappointed by the midfielder, claiming that he thought he would seriously kick on this season.
Declan Rice has been disappointing
Clarke shared his verdict on the England international and his performances this term.
The pundit says that while Rice hasn't played poorly, he hasn't quite improved in the way he expected him to after a solid first season for Arsenal.
"I’ve been a little bit disappointed with Declan Rice’s form this season. I don’t think he’s been bad by any stretch of the imagination," Clarke said.
He’s been okay, and I think that most of us would have expected him to maybe accelerate his own development under Mikel Arteta a little bit quicker, because I think there’s a big ceiling for Declan Rice.
"It might be that he’s been not settled into one position, he’s having to play holding midfielder one day, then it’s a box to box the next. I thought he was really calm, and I think that he had a presence about him in this game."
Why Declan Rice could improve soon
Clarke is right, Rice has been disappointing this season, but there's reason to believe he could be about to improve.
Indeed, now that Mikel Merino is back fit, Mikel Arteta can finally utilise the plan he had for Rice in pre-season.
Arteta always thought that Merino would complement Rice well in the midfield, and we started to see glimpses of that against Liverpool at the weekend.
However, with Martin Odegaard still injured, Arsenal's midfield balance still isn't quite right, and that's leading to Rice perhaps trying to do too much in the middle of the park.
Once Arsenal can field a first-choice midfield three of Rice, Merino and Odegaard, we should see all three players performing to the best of their abilities in positions that truly suit the trio.
Don't be surprised if there is a real uptick in performance from Rice in the coming weeks after a slow start to the season.
