During Arsenal’s 3-0 victory against Bournemouth earlier today, Stuart Pearce was scathing of No. 41 Declan Rice.
The England international made his 36th Premier League appearance of the season against the Cherries, and he played a major role in Arsenal’s crucial three-point win.
Pearce addressed Declan Rice’s negative performance in the 7th minute.
What Stuart Pearce has said about Declan Rice
The 62-year-old hoped to see the £105 million man be more ruthless inside the box early on.
Rice found himself in a terrific position in the seventh minute after regaining the ball on the halfway line and racing forward to create a four-on-three attacking scenario for Arsenal.
However, the 25-year-old was cautious and hesitated from shooting, resulting in a terrible pass to Bukayo Saka after Bournemouth had ample time to gather more players behind the ball.
At 12:37pm on talkSPORT, Pearce remarked, “This is where I believe Declan Rice can take his game to the next level. When he won the ball on the midway line, he had players on both sides, but he was looking for the pass. “I believe he should be looking for the shot.”
The Kingston upon Thames native has improved his goal-scoring this season, with seven goals in 36 Premier League games for Arsenal.
Rice has previously scored just 10 goals in 204 Premier League appearances for West Ham.
Arsenal No. 41 can become a genuine force
In our opinion, Rice has the potential to develop into a midfielder capable of scoring 20 goals every season.
The West Ham academy product is a terrific technical who has demonstrated his ability to score a variety of goals, including long-range screamers and well-timed headers following a late run into the area.
As a result, Rice does not lack the talent; rather, he does not appear to be too sure about what he wants to accomplish when entering the box at all times, despite glimpses of high quality like today.
If Mikel Arteta can keep Arsenal’s record acquisition calmer inside the box more regularly, as he did while assisting Leandro Trossard and scoring the third against Bournemouth, the Gunners may have an even better version of Rice on their hands next season.
