"Declan Rice can do it all, but the fact he is so competent in deep-lying positions - not an area where England are blessed with tonnes of talent - has at times left him a bit pigeonholed. Fortunately, Thomas Tuchel seems to have hit on a solution that has helped England into much more encouraging form ahead of next year's World Cup - and one that we have also seen play out for Rice under Mikel Arteta at club level recently."
""They started off with [Eberechi] Eze and Odegaard a little bit further forward, as you'd expect, with Declan Rice perhaps just being that little sitter in midfield. "There's nothing wrong with that: he's very, very good at it, and Arsenal were still creating their chances and getting into reasonable forward positions. Rice is still the one that's trying to pull the strings as the deepest midfielder, and he plays a brilliant pass in for Saka to create a chance where he's just offside."
Declan Rice combines elite defensive midfield skills with significant attacking threat, creating a selection conundrum for England. Limited depth in deep-lying midfield has sometimes pigeonholed him into sitting roles despite his forward value. Tactical adjustments that allow Rice to push 15–20 yards higher unlock additional attacking returns while retaining his defensive influence. Evidence from recent club matches shows Rice creating chances from deeper positions and scoring when given freedom to advance. A midfield partner sitting deeper permits Rice to occupy more advanced spaces, link play, and arrive into goal-scoring positions without removing defensive balance.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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