A year ago, the debate over who was the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League was 3-pronged: Thomas Partey, Rodri, Casemiro. Declan Rice was then considered by many as “best of the rest”.

Since Rice joined Arsenal in July, there is no longer a debate as to who is the best in the Premier League. Rice is now clear of the trio above. And such is Rice’s improvement, I think you will find very few debating against the view that he is the best cetral midfielder in world football.

Rice was always a very good “backs to the wall battler,” he had to be playing for West Ham. He excelled when opponents would pile on the pressure and his role would be to stop, block, intercept, clear, reset. These are natural attributes that have taken Arsenal’s defensive play to the next level. We recruited a player who will cover every blade of grass and put on his body on the line to defend a lead, to stop an opponent.

Where Rice has taken his game to a new level as he no longer sees his job to merely be “stop, block, intercept, clear, reset”.

At a team like Arsenal, the game is not about getting the ball up the pitch and then wait for the next wave of attack. After he has won the ball, he now gets his head up and decides how we will transition the ball from defence to attack, releasing the pressure by starting our attacking plays.

To highlight the difference in the way he is playing, the amount of passes he makes per game has increased since joining The Arsenal, as has his completion ratio. Meanwhile, he is playing about half as many long balls compared to his time at West Ham.

Once Rice has won the ball, he now looks for a forward passing opportunity to a team mate, rather than just smashes the ball clear into the channels for a Michail Antonio or Jarrod Bowen to run on to. Of course, it helps he is playing with better players at The Arsenal, and playing with better players make you a better player.

Rice does not just look to make a simple pass, however, when trying to launch an attack. He is also Patrick Vieira-esque in the way he can drive forward with the ball at his feet.

When Rice gets going, he is nearly impossible to stop. Like with Vieira, and Yaya Toure, he is a mountain of a man who is nearly impossible to fairly dispose, and has enough pace that when he brushes off an opponent, he can run clear.

I have lost count how often he has broken through the lines this season, running with the ball from the mid-way of our own half deep into the opponents. This not only releases the pressure but also creates attacking opportunities.

What is impressive about Rice is that Yaya and Vieira needed someone in behind them (Fernandinho, Petit/Gilberto) who did the bulk of the defensive work. Rice gets through the defensive work of Gilberto and the transitional play of Vieira. He really is two players in one.

And this will benefit England.

When Gareth Southgate’s side made the final at the last Euro’s, England played with a duel defensive wall – Rice and Kalvin Phillips. Such is Rice’s improvement since than that Southgate only needs Rice – a single pivot defensive midfielder.

Rice’s presence will allow Southgate to have two more attacking options on the pitch – likely to be Jude Bellingham and one of Phil Foden, James Maddison or Mason Mount. Without Rice’s progress this season, Southgate would probablybe looking at playing Jordan Henderson or Phillips next to Rice.

When you look at what Rice is currently doing on a football pitch, I struggle to look at another central midfielder who is having a similar impact.

Injuries to Thomas Partey and Casemiro have impacted their ranking, whilst Rodri does not have the ball carrying and attacking skills of Rice. Rodri also does not have Rice’s discipling (Rice: 1 yellow card, Rodri: 6 yellow and 1 red card).

Outside the Premier League, Joshua Kimmich is fantastic but does not have Rice’s physique that allows him to dominate physically. Kimmich also rarely drives forward with the ball at his feet. It is no surprise that the German is apparantly on Manchester City’s wish list, but Kimmich just does not dominate a game like Rice (and plays at a lower level in the Bundesliga).

Aurelien Tchouameni is another who is fantastic central midfielder. The Frenchman will be a contender for “best in the world” alongside Rice, but for now I feel he is the level below.

The last contender to Rice’s crown is Manuel Ugarte, but his progress would have stalled having signed for PSG. Ligue 1 is such a poor standard and it feels like players careers die when they move to PSG.

There a load of midfielders, such as Martin Odegaard, Luka Modric, Alexis Mac Allister and Bruno Guimarães who dominate when on the ball and are stylisih players, but do not have the defensive work rate of Rice.

Rice could play further up the field, where these guys do their best work, but they could not play as the deepest, most defensive midfielder.

What I think is crazy about Rice as well is he is still only 24. He is still getting better and under a coach like Mikel Arteta, he will continually add new attributes to his game.

Like Yaya Toure, Rice has the ability to become a 10-goal a season or more man. But where Rice is better is he will not lose that defensive edge whilst seeking goals – in Toure’s later years he began completely neglecting his defensive duties and only cared about scoring.

Rice is the best in the world, and is still getting better!

UTA

Keenos

Four years ago today, Mikel Arteta Amatriain became the 20th permanent of The Arsenal Football Club. How time flies when you’re having fun.

Mikel took over The Arsenal with the club a mess on and off the pitch.

The club had been in decline for a while as the Arsene Wenger era petered out. The leadership struggle between Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov allowed the club to drift in the ocean with no direction under the stewardship if Ivan Gazidis.

Wenger, and then Gazidis, departed leaving a power vacuum. This left Unai Emery in the middle of a power battle between Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat as to hiow we would move forward. Eventually both distruptive influences found themselves out the door, but it was probably too late for Emery.

Unai’s first season had been decent. 5th in the league and runners-up in the Europa League. But it was quickly becoming clear that he had lost the dressing room and was being given little, if any, assistance by his superiors to bring players in-line.

At the time, there were a lot of egos at the club; the biggest of which were Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and their German and French pocket holders causing issues. Emery struggled to bring peace to the dressing room and paid the price.

At the same time, Arsenal’s commercial deals were stagnating. We were not a “brand” that companies wanted to associate themselves with. Other’s, including Tottenham, had caught us up and overtaken us.

The club was rotten to the core, with reports at the time that we were close to losing academy status. then things changed.

Edu was already gaining more power whilst Mislintat and Sanllehi were at the club. He played a key part in the decision for Arteta to become the next manager. And also coming upo through the ranks was Per Mertesacker. The no-nonsense former captain saw his role grow as others departed. Arteta was then the final piece in the jigsaw.

The structure of Arsenal Football Club was so broken that is basically had to be demolished and rebuilt from the bottom up.

The academy was revolutionised, training ground upgraded and scouting network re-freshed. Coaches were let go and Arteta, backed by Edu, could wave goodbye to those egos that let down Emery.

Having to pay off the likes of Ozil, Mustafi and Aubameyang did hamper our finances for a bit, but those running the club had a plan.

Out with the old (even if it cost us some money), and in with the new.

Early on, there were a couple of short term signings. Stop gaps. Willian, Pablo Mari, Cedric Soares, Dani Ceballos. But then as finances began to ease and squad numbers reduce, Edu et al could focus on the rebuild.

In came in a lot of young talent, all under the age of 25. Ramsdale, Gabriel, White and Odegaard they key early signings. Each player was eager to learn, eager to listen. And, after a slowish start, momentum began to build.

Winning the FA Cup in his first 6 months meant when there was a little wobble in Arteta’s first fall season, the trigger was not pulled. Edu and the Kroenke’s new they had the right man. They realised how much work had already gone on behind the scenes and it was only a matter of time until that translates to the pitch.

In his 3rd full season, Arteta had us challenging for the title, with only a rampant Manchester City derailing us. This season he has shown that it was no fluke, and we are once more in the title race.

Arsenal Football Club is a much better place than it was in 2019, fans are closer to the players than ever and Arteta is a big reason for that.

But despite all the positives, questions are still being asked. 3 full seasons complete, just that single FA Cup won with a disruptive squad. If we fail to win a trophy again this season, it will be 4-years under Arteta without silverware. Is Miekl Arteta’s job in danger?

For me, it is a clear no.

I do not buy into thie “have higher standards” and “look at Real Madrid and Barcelona, they sack managers all the time and stay successful”. For a start, Spain and Germany are different to England, and the two clubs mentioned are the two biggest and most successful in their leagues. We are in a different place.

Since the inception of the Premier League, it has been proven that success is built on by keeping your manager – Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola.

The only outliers in the Premier League that have had a turnover of managers when they reached the top was Chelsea. And you have to ask how many more trophies would they have won had Jose Mourinho not have been sacked in 2007?

Sacking Arteta will not suddenly turn arsenal into Champions. you only have to look at Manchester United.

Since Sir Alex left in 2013, the have got through David Moyes, Luis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Ralf Rangnick and now Erik ten Hag. In 10-years they have yet to find a winning formula to lift the Premier League.

They have tried everything; bought in the man with Premier League experience, the proven winners, the club legend, the highly rated young European. Each one has failed to take them forward.

And Chelsea are showing as being no better.

Since Antonio Conte won them the league in 2017, Maurizio Sarri, Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard (again) have been and gone. now it is Mauricio Pochettino that has them mid-table.

Liverpool are the blueprint to follow, unless you are Manchester City with their untold riches.

They stick with Jurgen Klopp, know he is the right man and have built the club around him. He has repaid them with the Premier League, the Champions League, and playing some of the most thrilling, attacking football in the clubs history. The only reason they have not won more is due to Manchesrer City.

And City are the issue. You can continually change your manager, invest £200m a year in new players, but whilst City consistently get north of 90 points you will never be guaranteed winning the league.

Three years from the last 5, Liverpool got north of 90 points. They have just a single league title to show for it. One season they finished second despite gaining 97 points and losing just once. City have raised that bar.

And you do not overtake City by constantly changing your manager or trying to outspend them. You overtake them getting in the right manager, backing him, and hoping that he can take advantage of that 1 season in 4 where City take their foot off the pedal.

Regardless of what we win or do not win this season, Arteta will be here for a long time. He is a top manager, a great thinker, and the players buy into him. Sacking him now will only see us follow the same circles as Manchester United and Chelsea.

Arteta, it has been a good 4 years, you have given us our Arsenal back. Now it is time to make the biggest, ahrdest step of them all and make us champions again!

Mikel Arteta’s Red and White Army!

Keenos