Mikel Arteta has backed Declan Rice and Bruno Guimarães to develop into a major Arsenal midfield partnership despite Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton.
The pair started together in the Premier League for the first time at the Amex Stadium, but neither was able to give Arsenal the control Arteta wanted.
Brighton repeatedly disrupted the Gunners’ build-up and forced errors in possession, leaving Rice and Guimarães unable to dictate the game.
Arteta nevertheless believes the partnership remains at an early stage and will improve with time.
🚨🗣️ Mikel Arteta on the Rice-Guimaraes midfield: "It will evolve. It's at their earliest stage; they've only played together a couple of minutes."
"That relationship will for sure improve and give us a lot of joy." pic.twitter.com/9Rdz2O1XSU
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) September 19, 2026
Arteta backs Rice and Guimarães
Speaking after the defeat, Arteta was asked whether Rice and Guimarães could become a key midfield pairing.
He pointed out that the duo have played very few minutes together and insisted their relationship will continue to develop.
Arteta said the partnership had previously worked well when Arsenal won away at Sunderland, but acknowledged that it “didn’t work so well” at Brighton.
He added that the relationship is still in its early stages and believes it will eventually give Arsenal “a lot of joy”.
The comments were part of Arteta’s full post-match press conference reported by Football.London.
Brighton expose Arsenal midfield problems
The difficulty was obvious throughout the afternoon.
Brighton pressed aggressively and prevented Arsenal from building cleanly through the middle.
Arteta admitted afterwards that his side made too many technical errors and failed to follow the principles required to escape Brighton’s man-to-man pressure.
Those issues left Rice and Guimarães receiving the ball in increasingly uncomfortable situations.
Our Arsenal player ratings against Brighton reflected that struggle, with neither midfielder able to exert the level of influence expected.
The full scale of Arsenal’s problems was also clear in our Brighton 3-0 Arsenal match report.
Arsenal saw plenty of possession but rarely looked in genuine control.
Guimarães still adapting at Arsenal
Guimarães’ arrival gave Arteta another elite option in midfield, but the Brighton game showed why relationships cannot be built immediately.
The Brazilian is still learning the movements and positioning of the players around him.
Rice, meanwhile, has spent much of his Arsenal career performing different roles depending on the opposition and Arteta’s tactical setup.
Combining the two requires an understanding of when each player should advance, hold position and offer support during build-up.
That coordination was missing at the Amex.
Brighton punished Arsenal whenever possession broke down, particularly when the visitors attempted to play through pressure in their own half.
Arteta unlikely to abandon midfield plan
The defeat therefore looks more like an early setback than the end of the experiment.
Arteta’s comments suggest he remains committed to developing the partnership.
That matters because Arsenal’s midfield options are particularly strong.
Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino and Martin Ødegaard all giv
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