From Rice's tackle to Arsenal's victory

Declan Rice plays the role of Arsenal's midfield leader.

The 3-1 win at Emirates on the morning of November 27 was like a declaration sent to all of Europe: Arsenal are different. They are at a new level. And at the heart of that transformation is Declan Rice.

The play that summed it all up came just before Gabriel Martinelli’s decisive goal. Harry Kane, who had given Arsenal nightmares on more than one occasion, tried to dribble down the left wing. It was a seemingly harmless moment, but for Bayern that night, any glimmer of hope was nipped in the bud.

Rice charged forward, tackled with precision, jumped to his feet and screamed. The Emirates erupted as if Arsenal had scored. The message was clear: this team was not only better, but also stronger, hungrier and more determined than ever.

It wasn't a single move. It was an image that ran through the entire 90 minutes. Bayern are used to suffocating the Bundesliga, but in London they were overpowered by Arsenal.

Rice had a good game against Bayern.

Rice was the man who set the tempo. He was like four men in one: holding midfielder, box-to-box No. 8, sweeper, and split-second playmaker. Whenever Arsenal needed someone to push the team forward, disrupt Bayern’s structure, or simply ignite the team, Rice was there.

The second half was the clearest example. His run that left Joshua Kimmich stranded and forced Manuel Neuer to save was just one of many moments that showed his dominance. Bayern couldn’t get past Rice when they wanted to counter-attack. They couldn’t put pressure on him when Arsenal built up the ball. In a game that required spirit and class, Rice was completely superior.

Thanks to him, Arsenal had the control they had lacked against the big teams. Rice's set pieces constantly put Bayern on edge, while his ability to recover, handle the ball first-hand and rotate helped Arsenal maintain the flow of the game. Bayern only had a brief moment of excitement after the equaliser from prodigy Lennart Karl, but for the rest, they were caught up in the rhythm Arsenal created.

On the attacking front, Arsenal also showed they are not reliant on any one individual. Eberechi Eze, reunited with his old friend Michael Olise, played a relaxed and artistic game, typical of him. The pass that allowed Martinelli to break past Neuer for the third goal was the work of a player on the move. But the key moment was the moment before: Martinelli himself took the ball from Olise, raced 60 metres forward, and finished with the confidence of a team that knows it is on top.

Rice has the ability to attack and defend well.

Arsenal have often faltered in the past when faced with the chance to defeat “super” opponents in Europe. But this victory was different. It was a game they controlled, proactive, strong from start to finish.

Bayern are not weak, but they were alarmingly overshadowed by Arsenal. When Kane was forced to retreat so deep as to act as an involuntary playmaker, people understood that the game had slipped away from the German team's hands long ago.

The big question that emerged from this match was: Who can stop Arsenal? Premier League, they are leading. Champions League, they are the favorites. Arteta said before the match that Bayern have “a Champions League level from another universe”. But the reality is that Arsenal are accelerating at super-light speed. They are not only catching up, but showing signs of surpassing the rest of Europe.

That only happens when a team has a true leader. And right now, no one plays that role more clearly than Declan Rice. He not only plays well, but also pulls the team up every minute on the pitch. If this is the best version of Rice, Europe should be wary.

As for Arsenal, they have every right to believe that this season could be the one that brings the completion of a six-year project.

Source: https://znews.vn/tu-cu-xoac-cua-rice-toi-chien-thang-cua-arsenal-post1606357.html