Rice rewrites his own history

Declan Rice scored twice in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

The first leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Arsenal and Real Madrid saw a magical moment that no one could have expected. Declan Rice, the Gunners midfielder, took two wonderful free kicks in just 12 minutes, leaving the entire football world in awe.

But is it a complete surprise? The answer is no.

Rice was good at long range shooting.

Rice has always had the technical and physical qualities to shoot from distance. As a teenager at West Ham United, senior players at the club would often encourage him to take chances, especially from outside the box.

Yet despite his skill, no one could have predicted that Rice would one day produce such a moment of brilliance in a big Champions League game. That night in London, Arsenal hammered Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final - with Rice scoring a brace of superb free-kicks.

In fact, Rice couldn't believe it himself after what happened. Despite 12 missed free kicks in his career, he humbly said: "I don't know if it will ever make me feel enlightened. I don't think I'll ever understand what I did tonight."

Rice's Arsenal teammates were not hiding their surprise. Arsenal centre-back William Saliba said: "It's the first time I've seen a good free-kick from Rice. I didn't know he could do that. We don't score many goals from direct free-kicks."

Declan Rice brother 1

Rice's flick created a masterpiece at Emirates.

The truth is that Arsenal have not scored from a direct free-kick for a long time. The last goal from this situation was from Martin Odegaard in September 2021, against Burnley.

Since then, Arsenal have scored just one goal from 64 direct free kicks. Meanwhile, other teams such as Manchester City and Chelsea have scored many times as many goals. Arsenal are, in fact, one of the worst teams in the world at converting free kicks into goals.

However, two free-kicks from Rice against Real Madrid may have changed the tide. Rice has improved, and what has happened shows that he is ready to do things that were previously unthinkable. "It's in my arsenal," Rice confidently said.

Rice has shown his confidence in free-kicks in recent weeks, scoring his first direct free-kick in over a year against Chelsea in mid-March. Against Everton later, the former West Ham man tested goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with a powerful strike from outside the box.

It's no surprise that Rice is a great free-kick taker, having become a key weapon for Arsenal since being tasked with taking them during last year's winter training camp in Dubai.

Previously, Arsenal's coaching staff mainly preferred to put Rice in the penalty area for free kicks, taking advantage of his height to compete for headers. However, after training in Dubai, Rice showed accuracy and stability in free kicks from the left wing.

Rice's Progress

Since January 2024, Rice has provided eight assists from free kicks, all with powerful spin. The improvement in Rice’s free kicking ability has come not just from training but also from the overall development of his game.

Declan Rice brother 2

Rice is having his best season scoring from long range.

Before moving to Arsenal, Rice scored from long range in his final seasons at West Ham, and his strike against Real Madrid was a testament to his improvement from outside the box. Rice has started taking more long-range shots each season, and now he is ready to take decisive shots in important games.

Rice is having his best season scoring from distance. His two goals against Real Madrid mean he is converting 13% of his long-range shots, well above his average of 4.5% in previous seasons.

Having joined Arsenal for a world-record fee of £105 million, Rice remains modest in interviews, admitting that he still has much to improve:

"I know there are still many levels I can reach," he said. And against Real Madrid, Rice proved that he is not only a midfielder with excellent defensive abilities, but also a complete player who can create dangerous situations from all positions on the pitch.

Surely, with constant progress in playing style, Rice will bring many more surprises to Arsenal and world football fans.

Source: https://znews.vn/rice-tu-viet-lai-lich-su-cho-rieng-minh-post1544601.html