Mikel Arteta is not short of leaders in his Arsenal squad.placeholder image
Mikel Arteta is not short of leaders in his Arsenal squad. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Mikel Arteta has been told to rethink his captaincy decisions at Arsenal with one reliable midfielder consistently turning heads.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been urged to make a bold call in his captaincy choices at the Emirates Stadium following yet another standout performance from midfield marshal Declan Rice in midweek.
The Gunners blew away Bayern Munich with a 3-1 win in front of a home crowd and once again did so without club captain Martin Odegaard in the starting XI. The 26-year-old made a matchday squad for the first time since October 4 and was handed a nine minute cameo.
In his absence, Bukayo Saka has taken the armband and midfielders such as Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi have stepped up to the plate but few can match the all-round performances provided by Rice. The England international was labelled the ‘star player’ by The Standard with a 9/10 performance.
The outlet wrote: “Rose to the occasion, as he so often does for a big game. Won the ball for the move that resulted in Madueke’s goal. A monster performance.”
Arsenal midfielder touted as next club captain after Bayern Munich performance
Praise for Rice has come from many directions after another purring performance. It’s not just his on the ball work that has caught the eye, but his leadership skills too.
Outspoken Arsenal superfan Piers Morgan was one of the well known faces to lead calls for Rice, who was briefly skipper against Bayern Munich following Bukayo Saka’s sub, to be given the club captain title.
The former Britain’s Got Talent judge wrote: "Declan Rice captained Arsenal for the first time last night [was actually Rice’s second], albeit only for a few minutes. I say this with no disrespect to Martin Odegaard, a wonderful player and great guy, but Declan Rice should now be our club captain. He’s our real leader, and we all know it."
Former Premier League striker Jay Bothroyd echoed those calls on Sky Sports on Friday. The former Arsenal youth star, who went on to play 31 times for QPR and 25 times for Charlton Athletic in the capital, lashed praise on Rice.
Bothroyd: ‘Declan Rice is world class’
He said: “I can’t even tell you how good Declan Rice is. When I saw Declan Rice play for West Ham, I knew he was a very, very good player. When he went to Arsenal, everyone started saying, ‘£100 million, though?’ He’s justifying that easily. He’s getting better and better.
“He’s world class. He’s one of the best number 8s in the world right now. There’s no doubt about that. He’s been the driving engine many times for Arsenal. As much as Odegaard is captain, and I respect that, Rice is like the unannounced captain. Even the other night, against Bayern Munich, Arsenal didn’t start that well. Bayern Munich were on top for a large period of the game in the first half and it was Rice who got everyone geed up.
“He started making tackles, driving the team forward with his dribbles. He’s a fantastic player and I love watching him play. That’s the kind of player that I would want to see as my captain if I was playing.”
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