Souness calls Rice’s deep role ‘cheating’ as Arsenal midfielder faces criticism
Graeme Souness has criticised Declan Rice’s role in Arsenal’s midfield, saying the England international spends too much time dropping into defence and does not influence games enough from central areas.
Rice was involved in a heated clash with Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers during Arsenal’s 2-1 win at the Emirates last weekend. He appeared to trip Rogers before the two England team-mates pushed and grappled, yet Rice avoided a booking.
The incident was not the main focus of Souness’ criticism.
Speaking on Piers Morgan’s Football Uncensored, the former Liverpool captain questioned where Rice positions himself when Arsenal build from the back.
“How many times do you see him as the last man on the ball?” Souness said. “In the build-up, he is always the last man. He is either between the two centre-backs or between the centre-back and the full-back. He is the last man. A lot of the time, he is not playing midfield.”
Souness compared that approach with the way modern midfielders often drop into the back line to receive the ball without pressure.
“In my second or third home game, I dropped into the back four, like all midfielders do nowadays. That is old man’s football. It is cheating. It is old man’s midfield play. You receive the ball with no pressure and pass it to a full-back.”
The pundit believes Rice’s defensive qualities are elite, but says the Arsenal player needs to offer more in possession and further up the pitch.
“He plays too deep, so he cannot influence the game,” Souness said. “I don’t think he has enough football ability. Let me tell you what he can do. He is the best defensive midfielder in the country at the moment. He is very sharp at spotting danger. But on the other side of it, he is always deep.”
Souness also said modern players are often protected from criticism and concluded that Rice is not a complete midfielder.
Rice has been central to Arsenal since arriving for around £105 million, and Arsenal have won all three Premier League matches this season. But Souness’ point is that Rice must have a bigger impact beyond his defensive work if he wants to be regarded as one of the division’s best all-round midfielders.
