If Arsenal’s bad luck with injuries continues, then Declan Rice may have to put in a few more performances like this.
Arsenal fans have got used to the sight of Rice marauding forward in a more advanced role, but against Liverpool on Sunday he was in the heart of the action. The England star was used in a deeper role by Mikel Arteta, who was forced to move Thomas Partey to right-back due to a lack of available defenders.
Rice filled the void left by Partey in the middle of the park to put in his best performance of the season.
He was at the heartbeat of this Arsenal display, especially in the first half – when Arteta said his side achieved “total domination”.Rice was key to that, breaking up attacks and dictating the tempo of how Arsenal played.
The only frustration for him and his team-mates will be that they could not hold onto their 2-1 lead and Mohamed Salah snatched a point for Liverpool.
This result was not the shot in the arm that Arteta will have wanted Arsenal’s title charge to get, but nor was it a hammer blow either. Arsenal are now five points behind leaders Manchester City, however if they had lost to Liverpool they would have been seven back.
There were positives for Arteta to take from this draw and that will give him comfort as he braces himself for more selection headaches. The Spaniard revealed before this game that Arsenal’s injury crisis has been giving him sleepless nights and the sight of Gabriel limping off won’t help that.
The Brazilian will be assessed in the coming days after appearing to injury his knee, while Jurrien Timber will also be checked after he had to come off with around 15 minutes to go.
Rice flourished back as a No6, his influence was far greater than it has been for some time
Both players being out would leave Arsenal’s already stretched defence even more threadbare, given Kieran Tierney, Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all out.
Such issues are what made Rice’s performance on Sunday so important – and why he will be crucial going forward. If Arsenal are going to be short at the back, then those playing in defence will need protection and who better to offer that than Rice.
During his transition into a more advanced role, it has almost been forgotten that Rice is one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe. It was how he made his name at West Ham and was the position that Arsenal planned to play the 25-year-old in when they splashed £105million on him over a year ago.
Rice started his Arsenal career as No6 with a flourish and this performance against Liverpool strengthened the argument for him to return to such a role. Thrust into the heat of the battle, his influence was far greater than it has been for some time.
Usually, it is Partey who takes up that role – especially when Arsenal play in their preferred 4-3-3 formation – but on this occasion, Rice was given the keys. He ran the game in the first half and Liverpool’s midfield could not match his physicality.
There were signs, too, of a promising partnership with Mikel Merino. The pair combined for Merino’s goal, with Rice’s brilliant free-kick headed home by the Spaniard, and their understanding grew as the game went on. Merino had the licence to push on and press Liverpool high up the pitch, while Rice sat deep and screened the defence.
If you were to add Martin Odegaard’s creativity to the mix, it could make for a very dangerous midfield. Arteta will hope it is not too long before he can do that and he is certainly due some good news on the injury front.
Arsenal now face a run of four away games before next month’s international break, including visits to Chelsea, Inter Milan and Newcastle. They are all daunting trips and, just like on Sunday, where Rice plays could be key.
