Richard Keys has explained why Declan Rice should be ‘furious’ with Mikel Arteta after Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa.
The north London side saw their unbeaten Premier League run in 2024 finally come to an end as Arsenal were beaten late on against Villa at the Emirates Stadium, with criticism being aimed at the likes of Kai Havertz and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
With Rice starting in a midfield alongside Martin Odegaard and Havertz, the England international wasn’t able to advance up the pitch as much as the 25-year-old has done in recent weeks, with Zinchenko cutting inside and becoming the extra man.
And for Keys, this tactic is something that Rice should be fuming with.
Rice told to be ‘furious’ at Arteta after Arsenal decision vs Aston Villa
Writing on his blog, the pundit was critical of how Arteta set up his midfield against Villa, with Rice sitting in a deeper position and being unable to push higher up where the former West Ham man has impressed in recent weeks.
Keys wrote: “Also in really good form – Declan Rice, who I’ve previously said I wanted to see a lot more from. Arteta made a subtle change recently – playing Jorginho – which allowed Rice to start bossing games in the way he used to at West Ham.
“So why change it Sunday? Rice was back to being Declan Nice, tippy-tapping about allowing Zinchenko to try and run the midfield. What is Arteta’s obsession with crow-barring Zinchenko into his team? Is he so important? If I was Rice I’d be furious.