Arsenal star Declan Rice has often been described as a manager’s dream.
The England international is one of the best midfielders in the world, and he has rarely ever had a bad game since joining the Gunners.
Rice is consistently brilliant, has an excellent work ethic, and his professionalism on and off the pitch makes him the perfect player to have in the squad.
Mikel Arteta loves Rice for all the above reasons, but there were a few tactical aspects that annoyed him early in the season.
Is Declan Rice one of the most consistent Arsenal players of the Emirates era? If not, who is/was?
Why Mikel Arteta summoned Declan Rice into his office at Arsenal
Declan Rice wasn’t at his absolute best at the start of this season.
The former West Ham man started against Manchester United and Leeds United in the first two games of the campaign, and even though he wasn’t poor by any means, he wasn’t at his usual level.
Rice knew that at the time, but Arteta summoned him to his office at the Sobha Realty Training Centre to have an honest word with him about his performances.
After that conversation with the Arsenal manager, Rice admitted to himself that he needed to improve.
Speaking to Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports, the Arsenal midfielder said: “At the start of the season, the manager pushed me a lot. I think after two games, I was in his office. He pulled me in. He wasn’t happy about a few things.”
When asked what Arteta wasn’t happy about, he said: “There were a few clips, just of things that I wasn’t doing right. Things that are basics in terms of running and tracking your men and with the ball, positional-wise, that he wasn’t too happy with.
“And like I said, at the start of the season, I realised myself I probably wasn’t at my best level.”
Speaking more about the Arsenal boss, Rice added: “The good thing with this manager is that he knows when to put the knife in me in a little bit, just to give me a nudge, and he knows that will get the best out of me.
“Because I love to listen, I love to take it all in. I don’t see that as a bad thing that he has told me that. When he said that to me, I said to myself: ‘I do need to up it here!'”
Fill the blanks: The year is 2030 and Declan Rice is now worth £____.
What happened after Mikel Arteta’s meeting with Declan Rice
Rice took the meeting with Arteta in the right way, and his performances for the Gunners show just that.
Since his slow start to the season, the Englishman has been Arteta’s best player.
Rice has performed magnificently in almost every game, so much so that many view him as the best midfielder in the world.
If the 26-year-old continues to play at the same level – or gets better – in the remainder of this season, Arsenal will likely end the campaign with the Premier League title.
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