Arsenal recorded a hard-fought victory over Aston Villa to make it two wins from two to start the season, but it was far from straightforward.
Gabriel Magalhaes was fortunate as Ollie Watkins missed a huge chance after he made a mistake, and David Raya pulled off a world-class save to deny the striker in the second half.
Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey then scored to hand Arsenal a 2-0 win at a tough ground where they lost last season.
Arsenal were overrun in midfield by the impressive Morgan Rogers at times, and Declan Rice was far from his best in the middle of the park.
Rice was a crucial figure last season, but he failed to impress as he lined up in a number eight role, and fans are concerned about the Englishman playing in that role.
Arsenal fans concerned about Declan Rice after Aston Villa win
Arsenal fans have taken to X to express their concerns about Rice in an advanced role, with it claimed that he not offer enough in buildup, and did not support Gabriel Martinelli enough on the left.
“Need Rice to be aware of Martinelli’s runs. Couple of times he should have put him through with a one time pass,” a fan stated.
“Rice has zero vision. Martinelli has made like six runs behind already,” a fan added.
“Rogers has Rice on ice man. Spinning him for fun,” a fan posted during the game.
“Rice was worse than Partey because Partey was only bad off the ball, Rice was bad overall except for the last 10 mins,” one fan pointed out about the midfield pair.
“Rice & Martinelli on the ball today have been awful.”
“Two games in a row Rice is being used the least of any of Arsenal’s midfielders in build-up,” a fan highlighted.
“I really hope Declan Rice doesn’t go on the international break Looks fatigued at the moment, can’t discredit the fact that he was still working his arse off until the end But a 2 week break would do him nicely,” a fan claimed.
Declan Rice needs to change Arsenal midfield role
Rice did shine as a number eight last season, but he was particularly poor against Villa, and his lack of dynamism on the left was affecting Martinelli.
In addition to this, not having him at the base of midfield made Arsenal more vulnerable off the ball, and both Rice and Partey struggled to cope with the power of Rogers.
Rice’s weakness on his left foot affected the whole side of the pitch for Arsenal, and it is clear that he needs to return to the base of midfield.
Mikel Merino is set to join from Real Sociedad, and the midfielder looks a perfect fit for the role Rice played against Villa, and when he arrives, Arteta must make the change to help Rice and the team as a whole.
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