Ignore man-of-the-match awards, former Chelsea star claims Declan Rice needs to do more of one thing after Arsenal v Real Madrid

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Declan Rice put in two man-of-the-match performances for Arsenal against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

The midfielder ran the show for the North Londoners at the Bernabeu, a week after scoring two spectacular free-kicks at the Emirates to put Mikel Arteta’s side in command in the European encounter.

The displays cap off an excellent run of form from Rice, who has turned things around in 2025 after a difficult start to the season.

Rio Ferdinand labelled Rice ‘the best’ after the pair of Real Madrid performances, but one prominent media figure argued that the player still needs to add another string to his bow.

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Jason Cundy claims Declan Rice needs to score more goals

Arriving at Arsenal as primarily a number six, Mikel Arteta has favoured using Rice as an eight in the last 12 months.

The athletic midfielder likes to press high up the pitch and force turnovers, whilst he’s developing an ability to make effective late runs into the box.

Despite receiving widespread praise for his recent exploits, Rice has been told by former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy that he needs to add more goals to his game and be more productive around the box.

Speaking on talkSPORT, the radio presenter said: “If there is a criticism, he needs to score more goals, if Frank Lampard is the benchmark for being a number eight.

“Get more goals, and I think in open play. I know he scored two brilliant free-kicks, but if Rice really wants to improve his game, I feel he has to be more productive on the edge of the box.

“He’s a lovely size, physically he’s a great specimen, he drives with the ball. I suppose in some ways you could say he can continue to improve.

“As an England fan, I’d imagine Thomas Tuchel would’ve enjoyed watching that [performance vs Real Madrid].”

Declan Rice already scores goals at an impressive rate

Rice could become Arsenal’s Frank Lampard, although judging him based on the goal-scoring record of the most prolific midfielder in Premier League history is unfair.

Statistically, he’s actually scoring goals at a relatively impressive rate.

Netting seven last season and matching that tally so far this campaign, this is an exceptional return for someone who also gives you so much in several other areas.

According to FBRef, Rice’s rate of 0.17 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes over the last year puts him in the 85th percentile for this metric for players in his position in Europe’s top five leagues.

In other words, he’s in the top 15% of midfielders for goals scored in Europe over the last 12 months, which indicates that he’s already a very good contributor in this aspect of the game.