Wayne Rooney has warned Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice that he must relax in certain situations following his mistake against Tottenham.
Rice nearly had his own Steven Gerrard moment against Tottenham as his mistake gave the hosts a foothold back into the game.
Be honest, did you see shades of Steven Gerrard when Declan Rice made his mistake vs Tottenham?
Just seconds prior, the Arsenal midfielder had been issuing strong instructions to his teammates following Eberechi Eze’s opening.
The 26-year-old will be so relieved that the Gunners went on to win the game in N17; however, Rooney has warned him to compose himself in the title race.
Wayne Rooney tells Declan Rice to compose himself
Wayne Rooney believes that Declan Rice has been too animated over recent weeks, and his lack of composure is costing Arsenal.
The former Premier League striker thinks that Rice sometimes needs to take a deep breath before being overly animated for Mikel Arteta’s team.
Rice has been Arsenal’s best player this season; however, some of his actions on the pitch have been questionable at times.
“I think with Declan watching him over the last four weeks, you can see he’s getting animated, and he wants to win that much that sometimes it’s not helping him,” Rooney told BBC Sport.
“So I think just to take a deep breath sometimes, I’ve been in the same position, but sometimes just taking a deep breath and composing yourself will probably help him in this run-in.”
How much did Arsenal’s win vs Tottenham make you believe that we can win the Premier League?
Rice must now pick himself up and make sure he is ready to face Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium next weekend.
Wayne Rooney thinks Declan Rice is Arsenal’s biggest leader
Rooney claims that Rice has now become Arsenal’s biggest leader, ahead of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.
Fans have discussed whether Rice should be Arsenal captain, and Rooney has been impressed by his leadership.
Rooney added: “I mean that as a compliment in terms of he wants to win that much that it’s probably got to him.
“After you haven’t got a good result, it is a little bit frustrating at the end of a game, and I think just a deep breath.
“He does seem like the leader in the team, more so than people like Saka and Odegaard. He seems more like the leader in that squad.”
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