Wolves boss Gary O’Neil now claims one Arsenal star is very ‘hard to get past’

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Wolves manager Gary O’Neil took time to highlight the quality of Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice after the clash between the two clubs this weekend.

Arsenal maintained their place at the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 win over Wolves at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. However, it was not an easy ride for the north London club, and the likes of Declan Rice had to be at their best to contain the visitors’ attacking threat. 

Mikel Arteta, as he made clear after the final whistle, was certainly delighted with the job Rice did in the match. The former West Ham United man was once again a dominant presence in the middle of the park, making plenty of tackles and interceptions to prevent Arsenal ever coming under sustained pressure.

Rice could do nothing about the goal that Arsenal conceded in the 86th minute, but played his part after that to ensure that Wolves had no opportunity to level the scores.

Gary O’Neil took note of how hard Rice made it for his side to break the Gunners down. As quoted by the Midlands outfit’s official website, the coach stated that Rice “is not easy to get past.”

How big an impact has Declan Rice had at Arsenal?

Of course, this will not be news to Arsenal fans. Rice has rapidly established himself as an integral player for the club since his arrival in the recent summer transfer window. He has even been able to live up to his club-record £105 million transfer fee. 

Arteta still believes that there is more to come from Rice, too, as he has challenged the England man to become more of a threat in the final third. So far, the midfield enforcer has responded to this task with two crucial goals for Arsenal, coming against Manchester United and Chelsea.

The impact Rice has had at Arsenal is obvious from the stats that the club have put up this season. They have kept six clean sheets in the Premier League and have conceded just eleven goals after fourteen matches, giving them the best defensive record in the division. Rice has played a huge part in this impressive defensive effort as he does so much work to cut out opposition attacks before they are able to gain momentum.

It is now vital to the Gunners’ hope of mounting a successful title push this season that Rice is able to stay fit and available, especially given the persistent injury issues hampering Thomas Partey.