Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville disagree in Declan Rice debate - 'so harsh'
Declan Rice will be missing as Arsenal take on Tottenham in Sunday's North London derby but his performances during the international break have prompted debate
Jamie Carragher challenged Gary Neville on the former Manchester United star's claim that Declan Rice has limitations as a deep-lying midfielder.
Rice has occupied a number of roles during his professional club career with West Ham and Arsenal, even filling in at centre-back for the Hammers. He has also former part of a double pivot for England, perhaps most notably in the run to the Euro 2020 final, while playing deep and further forward at times since joining Arsenal for £105m in 2023.
The midfielder is suspended for Sunday's North London derby after picking up a red card for Arsenal against Brighton, but could be forced to show his versatility in the coming weeks. New signing Mikel Merino remains unavailable through injury, while captain Martin Odegaard could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an issue picked up during the international break.
Rice played a big role in Arsenal's second-place finish last term, but comparisons were made with Manchester City midfielder Rodri. That same debate reared its head once more as Neville and Carragher locked horns ahead of the Premier League's return.
Speaking on The Overlap, with Sky Bet, Carragher and Neville's fellow panelist Paul Scholes suggested Rice was best in a deep-lying role. However, this didn't receive universal agreement.
"I don’t think he can get the ball off the back four in the way in which a Rodri can," Neville said, prompting Carragher to reply: "That is so harsh, that is so harsh." Scholes broke ranks with his former United team-mate, instead taking Carragher's side, prompting Neville to make his case.
"I think he’s better in that left channel for Arsenal with Jorginho sitting," Neville said, "I’m not saying he’s not a competent player in No.6, I’m talking about in a tournament where we’re talking about he’ll get on the ball, get us playing, keep us moving, get control of the game, I’m not sure that’s what he does."
What is Declan Rice's best position? Have your say in the comments section
Carragher stopped short of calling Rice the best in the world in every department, but still doubled down. "When I think of Declan Rice, I think he’s that midfield player for me, I think he can do both, he can play No.8 where he can power forward but I think he can also play that defensive role and get on the ball," he said.
"When you’re saying he’s not [Luka] Modric or Rodri, of course he’s not, but I think it’s hard to say to someone he’s not good enough because he’s not as good as the best person in the world at receiving the ball."
Rice, who played the full 90 minutes in England's matches against Ireland and Finland during the international break, didn't miss a single game last season. That will change this term, though, after he received a second yellow card - leading to a first career red - for kicking the ball away in the draw with Brighton.
"If it [bookings for delaying the restart] happens throughout the game in a consistent way it is fine but it didn't. It is the inconsistency," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. "We started the game really well. We scored the goal, 1-0. We started the second half really good but then there is the decision that changes the game completely."
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