They say you learn the most about someone not when things are going well, but when they face adversity. Declan Rice did not need to prove that he is a natural leader, yet the midfielder demonstrated his qualities under difficult circumstances in the North London Derby. His mistake, which allowed Spurs to equalise, came moments after he had gestured for his teammates to remain composed following Eze’s opening goal. While many of his peers celebrated, Rice’s concern was ensuring the team did not lose focus.
Leadership Under Pressure
Where others might have felt sorry for themselves or needed time to recover, Rice responded differently. Theo Walcott, working for Sky on Sunday, compared Rice’s handling of the error to William Gallas’s infamous meltdown at Birmingham in 2008. Walcott recalled that Arsenal, leading by five points with just ten games remaining, suffered a dramatic collapse. Eduardo broke his leg, Gael Clichy conceded a stoppage-time penalty, and crucial points were lost. In contrast, instead of showing frustration, Gallas staged a one-man sit-down protest at the final whistle, despite being the captain.
Rice’s response was the opposite. When Muani scored for Spurs, he raised his hand in an apologetic gesture, smiled to acknowledge his mistake, and encouraged his teammates to return to the halfway line, regroup, and continue. It was not arrogance or indifference but a demonstration of calm leadership, a commander reassuring his troops that everything would be okay.
Leading by Example
At 27, Rice showed that leadership is not about titles or formal roles but about behaviour under pressure. His ability to recover quickly and guide the team demonstrates why he is central to Arsenal’s ambitions. Moments like these, when adversity tests character, reveal the true value of experienced professionals in the squad.
Rice’s actions in the derby reinforced the belief that he can lead by example throughout the season. With players responding to his composure and guidance, it is clear that, as long as he continues to set the standard, Arsenal’s prospects for a successful campaign remain bright.
Declan Rice’s leadership, commitment, and resilience make him a figure around whom the team can rally, and with performances like that, the Gunners are poised to challenge for the title.
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The Arsenal Captain in waiting.👍
Derek, agreed, but he’ll have to wait quite a while, being third or fourth in line.
I think if Ødegaard went, he could be promoted over Saka or Gabriel, keeping them as deputies. Wouldn’t be surprising anyway.
Nobody seems to have noticed that Rice made a second defensive error that would have led to another Tottenham goal had Raya not made a spectacular goal line save.
Steve P,
As I’ve said on a previous post. Mistakes happen, show me a player who has never made mistakes. And I’ll show you a liar.
Except this ‘mistakes happen’ thing only appears to apply to Rice. Other players are slammed for days,years even,for their mistakes. It’s the bias and double standards I find annoying.
Onyango,
Name some of the other players you’re referring to.
We get stella performances from Rice more often than not, he’s a terrific engine and is inspirational. But he’s not quite in the mold of Tony, Patrick V or Thierry. Big Gabby is our Top Man no personality in the entire squad has his strength of character. I view Rice as a future ENG captain but whether he can ever take the armband and lead by example in the spirit of Tony Adams and those mentioned above? I’m not convinced. For me the brazilian is “that guy”.
Sorry, but I think Rice might be a little too sargeant majorish.
The days of the Roy Keane types are long gone!!!
I like Odegaard, he is ideal captain , and the People wanting to replace him are absolutely thought less
JW,
Their not thoughtless, because they are giving their thoughts. 🤔
Don’t get carried away by one game. Where was he when we let in 2 loose goals against Wolves? Good player but not great. He came in for 105M GBP and we have not won anything till now, nowhere has he single handed changed games from us or lifted/carried the team. (Don’t term me anti Arsenal as my opinion may not the same as yours)
The only player of the invincible caliber is Gabriel.
You probably haven’t noticed that Rice covers for himself and Zubimendi defensively.
His quality shows on the pitch as well.
He’s overplayed and does not get injured.
How much can one man do?
Maybe we should sign Black Adam if he’s available
If he covers for Zubby, then Zubby is not cut for the job. If he is overplayed, then the bench is not strong or confident in the eyes of the manager, something the manager has to think and act.
The man needs to produce match winning performances every time he steps on the pitch and specially when we are in losing/draw like situations. He has to instill fear in the minds of the opponents. All the greats were never gentlemen on the pitch (Halaand came at half of Rice’s fee and is twice the player Rice is). That is what separates world class players from good players. Rice is a good player and the praise stops there. And an expensive one too.
It seems for some reason you underestimate Rice’s importance.
Make no mistake, he’s played a big part in our current league and CL positions. Imagine if he were to get a season ending injury. Who would adequately replace him?
What I see is him putting in the effort in games.
And there’s not many teams in world football whose starting eleven Rice won’t walk into.
I think you should give him a bit more credit.
And concerning Haaland, he came through a low €52m release clause. Dortmund would have asked for triple that sum if they had the choice. I remember it was widely and extensively reported at the time that Dortmund would demand €150m for him. Not until they foolishly decided to keep him for a season and lost out on that windfall. Both play different positions so I’m not sure how to compare them. And I don’t agree that Haaland is twice the player that Rice is. I completely disagree
Candid and as simple as that, Gabby Mag. is in front of Rice and still remains in there in Captainship cadre Gabby had made mistake that cost the team goal and responded immediately by scoring. pls enough of this hype and campaign for Rice captain role.
TSRS,
Come on now, we can all pick and choose games where said player has cost the team. But the best players make the least mistakes, and more often than not Rice produces top level and consistent performances.
Rice responded pretty well after his error and has generally shown good leadership qualities. However, contrasting his attitude with the poor behaviour of Gallas years ago really doesn’t tell us that much. Gallas was the captain and simply showed he wasn’t up to the job in large part because of his disrespect for other players.
Rice isn’t the captain and people need to stop pretending he is. Arsenal have won games without him and whilst he has usually performed well when he’s played he just needs to focus on playing well from game to game.
Rice is a player that anyone should look to see his name on the team sheet imo. He does show character and desire and comparison with other players at other clubs in different positions doesn’t stack up.
As a separate matter, he does indeed show leadership qualities and would no doubt make an excellent captain but I don’t see any reason to change Odegaard unless he becomes surplus to Arteta’s future plans
My mistake
I meant to reply to dgr8xt
See SueP,
You’ve proved my point. We all make mistakes, even in our posts. 😂
Interesting that the debate regarding Rice’s claims to the captaincy are not a done deal. As some supporters have brought up he mostly has to run the midfield on his own, no support from Eze or Zubamendi . This goes on, game after game week after week. Some have been quick to point out Rice’s defensive errors against Wolves but have forgotten that Odegaard was also on the field and hiding somewhere. He definitely wasn’t leading by example. I hope that next season Odegaard will be dreamed a surplus to requirements. He misses too many games, is often non existent and along with Merino is holding back Nwaneri from fulfilling his potential as an Arsenal player.
Rodri and Caicedo are the most talked about and highly rated midfielders in the league but I wouldn’t trade Rice for any of the two. Just my opinion of course. Somebody asked about a game he won for us! R Madrid springs to mind.
If you care to listen who he models himself upon he mentions 3 players: He models his self on Yaya Toure, he credits aspects of his game to Thomas Partey and admits much of his game is inspired by Steven Gerrard (LFC).
Now consider who Big Gabriel models his game on? you’re left scratching your head mostly. You won’t even know being as he has no role model. When looking for world-class performers within the squad setup the buck starts and stops with our defence out from which the boss is guess{?].
The real leader of the club is Saka. No negative body language, no error leading to goals. Always ready to fight for the club. Elite mentality.
On a positive note
Isn’t it good see we have leaders all over the pitch now where as season gone by we were all shouting about we haven’t even got one
Arm band or not I love the desire of some of our players. True qualities come to the forefront when not everything is going to plan
We finally have a few characters and lo g may it continue
Onwards and upwards
👍👍👍
This may be all true but articles like this are undermining of the captain and vice captain of the club. When was the last time there was an article giving support to those players both of whom have had significant setbacks due to injuries.
Saka has been one of the great leaders of this team from a young age.
I find this article and some of the sentiments being expressed rather disrespectful of the other leaders in the team.
I will not contribute to the divisiveness by some fans of the squad because of personal preference or sentiments. The truth is Odegaard is captain, Saka is deputy, Gabby is 3rd in line, and I will have it no other way.
Rice is a great player, a leader and we are lucky to have him in our team. Full stop.
No disrespect to Ødegaard intended, but Rice comes as close to the dominant, chasmatic captains like Adams and Vieira as we’re likely to get from this squad, and I’d like to see him in the role.
…and Saka, lovely bloke that he is, should never be considered. What’s the point of a captain stuck out on the wing?
Jax,
Good points well made. 👍
I’m afraid these comments are disrespectful to the current captain and vice captain of the club. This is not the world of Vieira and Adams and many are tired of these tropes that their likes would necessarily be suitable as captains of a modern Arsenal team.
Both of those players had their faults and the type of so-called “charisma” that you seem to be supporting is not sufficient to win games or indicate suitability as captain.
Both Saka and Odegaard have been major reasons that Arsenal have progressed to being one of the best teams in world football over the past few seasons. They also exhibit charisma in their own ways. Charisma isn’t just about being big and performative.
David,
You say many are tired of these tropes. I didn’t know that you were their official spokesman. The truth is, it is you who are tired of the tropes you talk of.
Gadfly
A little charisma wouldn’t be lost on you.
…charismatic
And always rolling around on the ground wailing&whining,true captains represents strength&warrior spirit which in my opinion Saka lacks.
And dare i say it,most points we have dropped this season are in games Saka started as captain.
Unpopular opinion:
To his credit, his work rate is big, his recoveries crucial at times. Nevertheless, and as Paul Scholes rightky declared, Rice takes too many touches, slows down the attack, rarely releases the ball at the right moment, doesn’t influence the games as much as a Gerrard or Lampard, doesn’t dominate the midfield like a Vieira or Gilberto Silva, doesn’t take the right shots from around the box when he can or should. He hasn’t been the upgrade on Xhaka we were promised. Our left wing is weaker with him in the team. With Xhaka, our left wing was as productive as our right wing.
Are you saying that you would rather have Xhaka than Rice in our squad?
I’ve always supported Xhaka, but to say Rice isn’t an upgrade, is, in my opinion, wrong.
As much as I like Rice and wish he could improve his timing and decision making to fulfill his potential, as much as I have to admit that I regret Xhaka’s departure because we became weaker offensively and less dominant and dangerous on the left flank. Footbal isn’t only about statistics. I deeply believe that if Xhaka was playing the last 2 seasons alongside Rice as a 6, we would have won the league consecutively. And yes, if I have to choose, from an offensive point of view and to be more dominant on the left flank, I would choose Xhaka.
Ridiculous. So you and Scholes are saying Rice has to be Rodri, De Bruyne, Viera and a butcher like Keane all rolled into one. As for even comparing him to a nothing player like Xhaka, well, your call.Also , Phillip comparing Saka as our true leader. You must have been watching how these amazing goals have dried up recently. What do you describe as an elite mentality. Wrong pass at the wrong time, hiding away on the wing and doing nothing to influence a game?
It can be argued that Rice is overall a better player than Xhaka. However, it is also the case that Arsenal’s attack was very effective with Xhaka in the team. Xhaka’s ability to find line breaking passes is superior to Rice’s. His overall deep lying playmaking skills are better than Rice’s. Rice is clearly better with ball carrying, athleticism and defensive abilities.
These are both top level footballers and to call either of them a “nothing player” does not make sense. In the case of Xhaka with what he has been able to achieve in his career it’s just silly.
Saka’s leadership abilities have clearly been recognised by the team and he’s been duly made vice captain. Even if some so-called fans disagree. To suggest that Saka has been “hiding” and does not influence games is simply dishonest. Saka is clearly one of the leaders of this team.
Rice is part of the leadership group which is fine. If there is a view that there should be a change in captain that should only come after the season is over. Those suggesting that there should be a change in captain at this stage of the season are not really being sensible as they are overlooking the potentially negative impact at this stage of the season.
Excellent analysis David. Rice is excellent, Saka is excellent, our players are generally excellent. Being critical in a positive and objective way, wanting our players to improve and fulfill their potential doesn’t mean that we don’t appreciate them. I see all what Rice brings to the team, I appreciate his contributions, I think he is one of the leaders of the team. I also think that he has margin for improvement. As for the captaincy, we need to trust our players and the management in their choices. We should be happy to have various leaders on and off the pitch. Go gunners !
Every player goes through a period of time where form goes missing.
In my opinion, both Saka and Odegaard are experiencing this at the same time, while the likes of Rice and Gabriel are playing incredible football and comparisons are bound to be made.
I agree that Saka as a captain makes no sense whatsoever and, with Odegaard having a run of injuries and struggling to recapture his form, the need to keep changing the armband is nonsensical.
I would give said armband to either Rice or Gabriel on a permanent basis to the end of the season – not as a slur to Odegaard, but as a sensible action with so many games coming up.