As Declan Rice stood over the ball in the 29th minute on Sunday, many fans will have been dreaming of a repeat of his two brilliant free-kicks against Real Madrid last season. Instead, a few seconds later the ball was flying high over the crossbar, much to the glee of the Liverpool fans behind the goal.
Having been named Arsenal’s player of the season last year, the midfielder has endured a difficult start to the season.
In the 1-0 win at Old Trafford on the opening weekend, he struggled to impose himself on a Manchester United midfield that looked ready to be exploited. Instead, the decisive passing and ball-carrying for which he is known were limited, and more worryingly Arsenal’s midfield were regularly by-passed as United countered.
Sunday’s defeat was another quiet afternoon for the England midfielder, whose wayward free-kick in the first half summed up an underwhelming performance.
Usually so reliable from corners, he also struggled from set-pieces, failing to put the ball into the key areas where Arsenal could hurt Liverpool.
Before the new season, fans were excited to see a partnership between Rice and new signing Martin Zubimendi, but so far the chemistry between the two is only developing. After all, it was also the Spaniard who gave away the free-kick from which Dominik Szoboszlai scored the winner.
Rice’s struggles this season do not suggest his ability is in decline, but rather they reflect growing pains in his new partnership with Zubimendi. However, given how reliant Arsenal were on him last year to progress the ball into the final third, fans will be anxious that he returns to his previous levels immediately once the international break is over.
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