Arsenal are facing a tough challenge to replace Bukayo Saka in the weeks ahead, following a key injury to the star.
The Gunners suffered a setback in their clash with Crystal Palace, coming as a huge blow with the update following the game.
It was revealed that Saka tore his hamstring in the match, which will see him miss “many weeks” of action for Arsenal.
There are plenty of issues that Mikel Arteta will need to solve in his absence, from his attacking threat to his defensive ability.
While there isn’t a like-for-like replacement for someone as good as Bukayo Saka, there are options to make up for his absence in the squad as a whole.
Declan Rice will replace Bukayo Saka for Arsenal set-pieces
One area that Arsenal lose out in having Saka absent is on their set-pieces, with the star being so crucial to their corner tactics in particular.
The 23-year-old has put in plenty of pinpoint deliveries to give his team a fighting chance at scoring from those positions.
While many have been asking about the secret to the large volume of goals, a big part of it surrounds Saka’s delivery.
In his absence, there will be a chance for Declan Rice to prove his ability on set-pieces with some pinpoint crossing.
The midfielder has been on corner duty a few times this season and has picked up a few assists for his troubles – sitting at five assists for the campaign across all competitions.
The 25-year-old will now have the pressure on him to deliver on a regular basis now, with some big games ahead.
Gary Neville questioned Declan Rice on set-pieces
While Rice has shown some ability to take set-pieces, it was a decision that was questioned by Gary Neville earlier this year.
Speaking back in February, he said: “I was watching the Arsenal vs West Ham game and obviously Declan Rice is on set pieces, I said to one of the stats guys, ‘When did he start taking set pieces’ and he said, ‘Four games ago’. I think they scored corner against Crystal Palace four games ago, where he started taking them.
“It was Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli before then but they [Arsenal] scored two on Sunday from set pieces and I was interested in the idea behind [why].
“You see a six foot two/three player on set pieces and think that you wouldn’t ordinarily think that would happen. So why has he gone on to set pieces? What’s happened before, what’s the data now?”
Rice is clearly more than capable of doing so though, perhaps quietening those doubts, though pressure will be back on him with Saka being out.
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