There are few people as critical of midfielders in the Premier League as Graeme Souness, who targeted Paul Pogba for several years and has now turned his attention to Declan Rice.
Rice is considered one of the best midfielders in Europe and is the most expensive signing Arsenal have made. However, he has performed so well that few people are now discussing the amount of money it took the Gunners to bring him to the club.
Souness demands more from Rice
The Gunners splashed the cash because they were convinced they were signing one of the best players in the world, and Rice has so far proven himself to be one of the top players on the continent. Arsenal will continue doing their best to sign the best players they can afford, while also believing Rice can continue to develop.
However, Souness is not convinced by the midfielder and does not believe he does enough to stand out during matches. Considering how highly Rice is rated, Souness wants more from the Arsenal man and believes he is benefiting from his reputation.
Rice criticised for his positioning
Souness claims Rice is effectively cheating his way into the ratings he receives because of his positioning during matches. He believes the midfielder often drops too deep and receives the ball without enough pressure, allowing him to move possession towards the full-back.
He explained his criticism as quoted by Football365:
“In the build-up, he’s last man. He’s sitting between two centre-halves or between the centre-half and the full-back. He’s last man. A lot of the time, he doesn’t play in midfield.
“In my second or third home game (of my career), I went into the back four like all midfield players do today. It’s old man’s football. It’s cheating. An old man’s way of playing midfield. You get the ball under no pressure and you play it out to the full-back.”
Souness’ comments provide a strong criticism of Rice’s role and the way he influences matches. Despite the midfielder’s high standing, the former player believes he should be doing more in midfield rather than operating so frequently from deeper positions.
Rice will continue to be judged against the expectations that come with his reputation, but his performances for the Gunners have ensured he remains highly regarded across Europe.
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Why give Graeme Souness any airtime here?
He was a good player in his time however his time was in the late 70’s and early 1980’s. He would have been sent off in nearly every game he played if the same rules that apply today applied when he was playing. Therefore how can he comment about Declan Rice not doing enough?
I personally would ignore this dinosaur.
For me his opinions has no value, totally out of time.
He’s operating deeper because that is what the manager is asking of him, and it works for us,so who cares what anyone thinks? Two seasons ago Rice was operating high up the pitch as a left 8 and that also worked for us. He is as complete a central midfielder as there is.
Rice is arguably the most consistent player we have; and has been so for a while. This is fine with me, Rice does his best work as a 6.
If he wants more, perhaps speak with our attacking players; aside from Gyokeres 21 goals, don’t think a single attacker had a productive season, Havertz was not bad after injury.
Souness needs to understand that football has changed since he played in the 70’s and 80’s. Formations and tactics are totally different these days.
“ Souness is not convinced by Rice and does not believe he does enough to stand out during matches.”
That is truly bonkers. 🤷♀️
Is it possible, these ex players getting quoted are so in love with their club, they are actually deliberately causing mischief on rival clubs? Deliberately trying to destabilise opponents? How else can we explain – similar to Souness in this instance – Gary Neville demanding so much more from Isaac and Wirtz when just mere minutes of the season had been played? Someone who goes to bed in Man Utd pyjama’s inventing pressure on Liverpools best players. Seems sort of obvious to me.
Souness has been for the longest time now, embittered and sour and stuck in the 70’s and 80’s. He’s still of the opinion that back then…..the was the ‘enlightenment’ of football and not world football but football in the UK. The agricultural style of play which the de facto style at the time carried with it the idiotic notions of what football stood for and what it was to be a real ‘footballer’ and even a ‘man’. The usual tropes of it’s a man’s game and violence is part and parcel of being a real footballer was to engage in violence.
He lived his glory days in this era but, it’s new era now, new ideologies, new, methods, new styles….new era. He’s so far gone when it comes to footballing nostalgia he’s made himself ‘the oracle’ when it comes to any discourse in football with his only method of engaging in this discourse being to criticise…players, managers, fans, the ‘tea lady’. He’s just a bitter and twisted has been and that’s that
I just think he’s talking made up rubbish 💁♀️