William Saliba told reporters after his side’s League Cup semi-final first leg win over Chelsea on Wednesday night that he and his Arsenal teammates “want to win everything”.
Now, Mikel Arteta’s side have come painfully close to glory in past campaigns, but this one is really starting to feel different. This time around, the Gunners feel almost inevitable.
The North Londoners squad has plenty of talent, from a best-in-class defense to an attack that is starting to take off. And Declan Rice is in the middle of the park showing why fans are singing that his £105m transfer fee is half the price.
Moreover, it is now starting to look like Arsenal have unearthed another version of the Englishman in their squad, who could be earmarked as a generation-defining addition should they win the Premier League.
Declan Rice’s great season
Now, it has to be said that although there were the odd game here and there where he was below average, Rice was worth everything Arsenal paid for him from the moment he arrived.
But it must be recognized that the former West Ham United captain has taken his game to another level this season.
The 27-year-old looks to have combined his experience playing deeper with a left-eight position to become arguably the best all-action midfielder in the Premier League, if not world football.
The “World Class” monster, as journalist Tom Marshall-Bailey has dubbed it, appears everywhere during the match.
Need someone to quell the attacks? He’s there.
Need someone to start the attack from deep? No. 41 is your guy.
Does someone want to drive the ball into the back of the net from a cutback or deliver the ball from a perfect set-piece? The 72-cap monster has already done it.
It’s become easy to name things the Brits can’t do, but it’s probably just a long throw at this point.
Unsurprisingly, the North London midfielder was in action again on Wednesday night away to the Blues, scoring an assist to complete his impressive tally.
Rice vs Chelsea | |
|---|---|
minutes | 82 minutes |
assist | 1 |
key pass | 4 |
shot | 1 |
touch | 64 |
completed cross | 3 |
dribbling (successful) | 1(1) |
intercept | 2 |
clearance | 3 |
blocked shot | 1 |
collect | 4 |
Aerial Duel (Win) | 2(2) |
Ground Duel (Win) | 1(1) |
dribble pass | 0 |
All stats by Sofascore | |
In 82 minutes of action, he created one big chance, made four important passes, completed three crosses, completed 64 touches, completed 100% of his dribbles, won 100% of his duels, and was never dribbled through.
Overall, Rice is one of the most important players in Arsenal’s squad, and it looks like Arteta may be looking to find another midfielder like him.
Arsenal’s new rice
Arteta has built an incredibly talented group of midfielders at Arsenal, but one player who is starting to resemble Rice a bit is Martin Zvimendi.
The Gunners spent around £60m signing the Spaniard from Real Sociedad in the summer, and since then it’s easy to see why several other top European sides have expressed an interest in signing him.
The former Sociedad ace primarily wears the number six shirt and has been a key part of North London’s incredible defensive structure. =
It’s not always glamorous or highlighted, but the 26-year-old has made a habit of collecting the ball from deep, placing his feet in the right places to take the ball away from opponents, and defending the ball when under pressure.
In some ways, he’s doing what Rice did for most of his first season at the club, when he also played deep in midfield.
But the similarities with the Englishman don’t end there, as he, like teammate Zvimendi, is starting to show that he is more than just a defensive midfielder. He is someone who can have a huge impact on every stage of play.
But don’t just take our word for it. Speaking after the win over Chelsea, Arteta said his summer signing was a “do-it-all” player who was “really good at running the ball” and “has really good timing to get into the box.”
These traits were on full display against the Blues, with the Spaniard finding himself in attacking positions on several occasions, and in the second half he beat two players inside the penalty area before flicking the ball past Roberto Sanchez.
This was his fourth goal of the season, and considering he also has three assists, it’s time for fans and pundits to stop seeing him as just six assists and as a potential “project-defining signing” as Arsenal writer Adam Keyes described him.
After all, Arsenal have a squad full of world-class players, but the midfield pairing of Rice and Zvimendi may be the only thing that has given them the edge this season.
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