Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has come under fire once again, this time for his use of one star from former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes.
The head coach has been questioned plenty over the course of the Premier League campaign, with the Gunners sitting some way off the pace of league leaders Liverpool.
It has left a mountain for Arsenal to climb if they are to lift the trophy in May, while the Champions League is still up for grabs.
Over the next few months, Mikel Arteta will have to rise to the challenge, hoping that some luck will also follow.
While luck has come into question at times this campaign, due to injuries and plenty of other variables, so too have the Arsenal boss and his tactical decisions.
Paul Scholes questions Mikel Arteta’s use of Declan Rice at Arsenal
One player who has had plenty of focus this season is Declan Rice, with the midfielder slowly getting to top form.
The England international had been off the pace, following an extremely long previous campaign due to a run to the final in the European Championships that summer.
Rice managed to hit top form once again though, being used in several different positions by Arteta so far.
Whether it has been as the deep-lying midfielder or in the left-eight role, the record signing has put in the hard yards when needed.
It’s something that Paul Scholes has questioned though as he said on The Overlap fan debate: “Declan Rice, I’m a little disappointed with him because I think he’s been put in a place where we don’t really know what he is anymore.
“Is he that holding midfield player? Is he the one, I’ve heard people like Gary Neville say he should be the one getting forward, scoring goals.
“I’ve never seen him that way. I think he’s almost become a little bit stuck in not really knowing what he is and Arteta knowing what he is.”
While that may have brought questions about the best use of Rice, Arteta has already explained how flexibility is ideal for his system.
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Declan Rice position change explained
One thing that Arteta has emphasised over the past few years is the need to have tactical flexibility within his team.
Arsenal face many different challenges, be it teams that press high or sit in a low block, sides that want lots of the ball or none at all.
As a result, the team as a whole need to have that tactical flexibility to thrive in as many different scenarios as possible.
The midfield is key to that and Rice is a central part of that, being capable of playing deeper or further forward, tracking back or scoring goals.
The all-round nature of Rice was outlined by Arteta back in August 2024, when he told the press: “At his age it would be a big mistake not to do that [play Rice in different midfield positions], and not to have the capacity to play in different positions.
“Then within the game you will have a different role in relation to the opponent as well and what they do. Last year he showed that he has the ability to shift from one game to the other, sometimes in the same game, and to have players like that with the short squad that we have is really important.”
It certainly suggests that, rather than not knowing his best position, Arteta wants the option to use Rice in different ways.
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