Declan Rice, Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Arteta (Photograph by Julian Finney, Alex Pantling/Getty Photos)
Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta has admitted that him bringing Declan Rice on from the bench in opposition to Crystal Palace modified the sport.
The Gunners thrashed Palace 5-1 at Selhurst Park, however there have been a variety of moments within the recreation once they really didn’t look as defensively stable as they usually do.
Palace have been a bit unfortunate to not have carried out extra harm to the Arsenal defence, whereas there was merely some actually scientific ending from Arteta’s attackers on the evening.
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Nonetheless, Arteta spoke after the sport and mentioned it felt much more managed as soon as Rice got here on to shore issues up in defensive midfield.
The England worldwide additionally confirmed his high quality by getting ahead to attain the fifth objective, however general it simply made Arsenal really feel extra stable and compact as soon as he was launched.
Mikel Arteta on how Declan Rice modified the sport in opposition to Crystal Palace
Declan Rice celebrates scoring for Arsenal in opposition to Crystal Palace (Photograph by Julian Finney/Getty Photos)
“They have been extra aggressive than within the first recreation which we anticipated, however we didn’t perceive whether or not or not which sequences we needed to put and the areas that we wanted to create,” Arteta mentioned, as quoted by Arsenal’s official web site.
“So, we ended up enjoying an excessive amount of with David [Raya] very shut his personal objective and in opposition to them it’s a very unhealthy recreation to play, and we adjusted a number of issues. When Rice got here on, he modified the sport, he gave us extra dominance, nonetheless the identical menace however we have been a lot better.”
Rice wasn’t fairly match sufficient to begin the sport at Selhurst Park, however he actually confirmed his significance to this Arsenal workforce when he got here on.
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Gooners will hope Rice can proceed to make an influence for the workforce and keep match for the remainder of the season, particularly as there have already been so many health points in Arteta’s squad thus far this time period.
Martin Odegaard has missed a variety of video games, whereas Bukayo Saka additionally has an damage now after having to be subbed off within the Palace recreation.