Declan Rice started for Arsenal against Sporting CP after missing the game against Southampton.
The England international is one of the best midfielders in the world, and when he is at his best, Mikel Arteta’s side are nearly unstoppable.
Arsenal won their game against Sporting in the Champions League, but many fans who watched the match felt that Rice was not at his usual physical level.
There are hundreds of posts on social media suggesting that the midfielder was only 50 per cent fit, which is worrying if you’re an Arsenal fan.
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Arsenal fans question Declan Rice’s fitness after watching him vs Sporting CP
Arsenal supporters were quick to point out that Declan Rice did not look fit.
Many fans noticed that he wasn’t constantly making his trademark lung-bursting runs, while some also saw that he looked really tired.
One Gooner tweeted: “Declan Rice looks about 50 per cent fit, not sure he has too many sprints in him.”
Another wrote: “Declan Rice is definitely not fit either, I’ve never seen him jog back when the opposition is countering.”
“Rice defo not fully fit btw, guys breathing like he played 90 mins yesterday. If a player who’s got the endurance he does is struggling this much, imagine everyone else,” posted another.
Another fan said: “On top of the injuries, it’s clear that Ben White, Martin Odegaard, and Rice are not fully fit.”
“Rice is not fit at all,” wrote another.
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Declan Rice’s stats are unbelievable despite questions about his fitness
There were definitely moments in the game where you could feel that Rice was not firing on all cylinders.
However, that did not stop him from dominating the midfield.
In his 90 minutes on the pitch, Rice had 77 touches of the ball and completed 67 of his 68 attempted passes, maintaining a stunning 99 per cent passing accuracy. He also created two chances. (Sofascore)
Defensively, Rice made four interceptions. He also recovered the ball 13 times – the last time an Arsenal player did that in a Champions League knockout game was Mikel Arteta against Bayern Munich in 2013. (Opta)
If Rice can produce such numbers while not looking fit, imagine what he can do when he is at his peak physical condition.
However, if Rice really isn’t fully fit, it is a big concern ahead of the most important part of the season.
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