Declan Rice will play a variety of roles for Mikel Arteta during the season, it became clear during the game against Crystal Palace.
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This information was revealed in a post-game interview Rice gave, in which he emphasized the differences between his responsibilities against Palace and Forest.
Rice explained his positions in the two games: he played the left player in a midfield diamond against Forest, while he served as a lone pivot against Palace. This positioning allowed him to explore more offensive positions during the opening game against Forest, which almost led to his first goal when he volleyed off the post.
In the most recent game, Rice took command of the midfield by occupying a prominent position there and directing play with his superb passing skills.
His pass accuracy toward the end of the game was an amazing 90%.
In addition, he had a chance to provide an assist when he deftly sped past a few Palace defenders and found Eddie Nketiah, who regrettably raised his effort over the crossbar.
Rice’s increasing offensive contributions are perhaps what Arsenal supporters are hoping for, especially when he plays the left position in a midfield diamond, as he did against Forest.
He was able to record four goals and two assists for West Ham the previous season. There is hope that this season while donning the Arsenal jersey, he may outperform those figures.
In his post-game interview with Sky Sports, Rice personally addressed this issue and stated his aim to improve his offensive skills.
He is diligently attempting to improve this aspect of his game because he is conscious of the need to add more goals and assists.
If he succeeds in doing that, I fail to see what would prevent him from surpassing all other midfielders in the world.
