Declan Rice has a reputation for being exactly the kind of player every manager wants to work with.
Since joining the Gunners, the England international has consistently performed as one of the top midfielders globally, rarely making a mistake.
He is incredibly consistent, works hard, and carries himself well both on and off the pitch – all qualities that make him an ideal fit for any dressing room.
Mikel Arteta appreciates all those attributes, but there were some tactical issues that bothered him in the early part of the season.
Why Mikel Arteta pulled Declan Rice aside early in the season
Declan Rice did not start this season in top form.
The 26-year-old featured against Manchester United and Leeds United early on. While he was not poor, he did not quite reach his usual standards.
Rice was aware of it himself, but Arteta still called him into his office at the Sobha Realty Training Centre for a frank conversation about his form.
That meeting seemed to have an impact. The former West Ham midfielder later admitted that the discussion helped him realise he needed to step up.
“At the start of the season, the manager pushed me a lot. I think after two games, I was in his office. He pulled me in. He wasn’t happy about a few things,” he said to Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports.
When asked what Arteta had highlighted, Rice replied: “There were a few clips, just of things that I wasn’t doing right. Things that are basics in terms of running and tracking your men and with the ball, positional-wise, that he wasn’t too happy with.
“And like I said, at the start of the season, I realised myself I probably wasn’t at my best level.”
Praising how Arteta handled the situation, Rice added: “The good thing with this manager is that he knows when to put the knife in me in a little bit, just to give me a nudge, and he knows that will get the best out of me.
“Because I love to listen, I love to take it all in. I don’t see that as a bad thing that he has told me that. When he said that to me, I said to myself: ‘I do need to up it here!’”
How Declan Rice responded to Mikel Arteta’s early season feedback
Rice took Arteta’s comments on board, and his response has been clear in his play.
Following that slow start, he has become one of the manager’s most important players.
His consistent high level of play has not gone unnoticed either, with many now viewing him as one of the top midfielders in the game.
If he keeps this up through to the end of the campaign, it could well help push Arsenal towards a Premier League title.
- READ MORE: Arsenal rejected 19-year-old Dominik Szoboszlai to sign Willian in 2020, one man is to blame
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
