3 standout players from Arsenal’s defeat against Newcastle

2. Declan Rice

It’s only 11 games into the season and Declan Rice already looks like Arsenal’s captain. A pure leader both in play and out of play, Arsenal fans have already gotten used to his incredible defensive contributions.

Against Newcastle, he also showed how good he can be with the team going forward. Rice broke the lines a few times with runs from midfield, albeit with poor decision-making at the end of these runs. He played valuable forward passes that just weren’t fully taken advantage of by those playing up front.

Despite how well-appreciated he is already, I still think his best work goes mostly unnoticed. While Arsenal were chasing the game, Newcastle countered from a corner. A Newcastle man beat an Arsenal man (I believe Fabio Vieira) for pace, and would have been away at goal if it hadn’t been for Rice striding back powerfully to win the ball.

Declan Rice for £105m was a bargain.

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