Martin Keown believes Arsenal star Declan Rice has been mismanaged and requested to do ‘an excessive amount of’ for England at Euro 2024.
Rice has thrived in a No.8 position since becoming a member of the Gunners from West Ham, with Mikel Arteta enabling him to make driving runs ahead and contribute within the last third. The midfielder ended the 2023/24 season with seven objectives and 9 assists to his identify in 38 Premier League appearances.
For England, nonetheless, Rice is utilized in a extra withdrawn position, offering a defend simply in entrance of the centre-backs whereas contributing in possession from a deeper place.
His perform inside the workforce has allowed Kobbie Mainoo to behave because the box-to-box midfielder, whereas additionally releasing up Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden to search out house between the traces.
Keown accuses Southgate of mismanaging Rice
Rice has made extra tackles (18) than every other participant at Euro 2024 to date, whereas he’s third for passes accomplished (449) and fifth for possessions gained within the center third (14).
Nonetheless, in line with former Arsenal and England centre-back Keown, Southgate would get even higher outcomes from Rice if he had been allowed to play in a extra superior position.
In truth, Keown even believes Rice has typically been requested to do ‘an excessive amount of’ for England at this summer time’s event.
“He performs alongside [Martin Odegaard at Arsenal], so perhaps [Thomas] Partey or Jorginho sits there [in lone defensive midfield role],” Keown advised talkSPORT.
“It permits Declan, with the unbelievable vary he has of working, to stand up and down.
“We’re not utilizing him in that method, we’re utilizing him to play fairly deep.
“And I felt within the earlier video games, he had two gamers both facet of him and was being requested to do an excessive amount of.”
