£105m bargain Rice is final piece in Art’s title jigsaw puzzle
DURING a recent interview while on international duty, Declan Rice spoke of how it did not feel ‘normal’ to be a human being sold for £105million.
And he is right, of course. But in the abnormal world of football transfer fees, no clubs have spent that much money as wisely as Arsenal did when they signed Rice.
After 14 games of last season, the Gunners sat top of the table – and will be in the same place when this weekend’s Premier League programme is finished.
As a title-challenging force under Mikel Arteta (above, right), they are here to stay. But is there any reason why they can stay the course this season?
There are a few – the manager is becoming more decisive and impressive, the players will have learnt from their experience and they have a nice defensive solidity. But the
most persuasive reason? Rice, the £105m bargain.
This victory was all about how Arteta’s side snapped so stylishly out of the blocks, scoring twice inside 15 minutes with a vibrancy unmatched for a long time.
It was all about the underappreciated job performed by Gabriel Jesus, a pivot for so much of Arsenal’s mostthreatening, attacking phases.
It was all about keeping concentration when having so much control – it was half an hour before David Raya touched the ball with his hands.
It was about the classy contributions from scorers Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, whose left-footed finish gave a nice build-up a sweet ending. And it was about Rice. Despite Erling Haaland’s goals, there are plenty of Manchester City fans who would not have looked beyond Rodri as the most vital figure in their Treble-winning season.
Any team that want success need a Rodri and it is impossible to ignore comparisons between City’s Spaniard and Arsenal’s
Englishman. For 30 minutes, Wolves could not get into opposition territory because Rice was on a mission to prevent them doing so.
The pressing levels of some of his more advanced team-mates dropped after that period, which allowed Gary O’neil’s team some attacking joy. But the frequency of Rice’s interventions was never anything other than regular.
Vision on a football field is not just about passing and shooting – it is knowing when to step in and when not to – and, more often than not, Rice gets that right.
Talking of passing, Rice showed he can hit long and short, clipped and raking, with either foot. His one failing in what was a fraught win was an inability to hit the target with shooting opportunities just outside the penalty area. Not that he treated that as failure, the third of his wayward attempts bringing a grin to his face. It is one of the more familiar grins in football, a symbol of something else Rice brings to this Arsenal team. He has an effervescence, an enthusiasm, an indefatigability that is infectious, that does not just lift his colleagues, but lifts the crowd as well. Defensive sloppiness gave Matheus Cunha and Wolves late hope. But, by then, Rice had done enough to help ensure top spot... after 14 matches. The same as last season. But, with Rice now running the show, the Gunners might just last the distance.