Each week, Luis Miguel Echegaray discusses the latest from the soccer world and shares his opinions, whether you agree with them or not. From standout performances and what you might have missed to what to keep an eye on in the coming days, LME has a few things to say.
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How Declan Rice elevates Arsenal
In 1996, a 20-year-old Patrick Vieira signed with Arsenal and eventually became the midfield pillar of Arsene Wenger’s reign, taking over as captain before the start of the 2002-2003 season, and one campaign later, helped the Gunners do what no other team has ever done: win the Premier League without losing a game.
Can Declan Rice’s move from east to north London bring back some of those Vieira moments? I know, comparisons are often the enemy of context, mainly driven out of nostalgia, but the reason for this parallel has more to do with what Rice represents as opposed to mirroring his attributes alongside the French legend.
Rice is one of the best midfielders in Europe. Last season, he was the second best ball carrier in the league — only Manchester City‘s Rodri was better — and he was second in most distance covered. But what makes him impressive is that he does most of his work under pressure. The majority of his time with the ball is under constant pestering from the opposition, and Rice maintains an ability to deliver through it all. His calmness amid chaos is crucial for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, especially as the youngest squad in the league who can sometimes seem overwhelmed in big moments.
Rice has studied tapes of Vieira and it’s evident in his game — as well as David Moyes’ coaching at West Ham United — but at Arsenal, Arteta can help him develop into a better decision-maker and distributor. At £105m ($133m) including add-ons, Rice’s transfer will become the most expensive in history for a British player, but value is all about perspective.
Arsenal play attractive football but — as last season’s late drop showed — they’re not resilient, not like City, not yet. For every Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, Pep Guardiola needs a Rodri and Arteta, Guardiola’s former assistant, knows that he needs his own Rodri, too.
Every star-studded roster demands a nucleus and for Arsenal, that’s Rice.
Tata Martino reunites with Lionel Messi
On paper, this is an almost perfect scenario. Martino has worked with Messi and Sergio Busquets before when the Argentinian manager coached Barcelona in 2013-14. Shortly after his short stint with the Catalan club, he took over the Argentina national team for two years. He is also returning to a league that treated him well, as it was his Atlanta United that created so much excitement in 2018 and winning with the MLS Cup. So Martino knows the league, the culture and knows Messi.
“I am in love with MLS, with the way of competing, with the evolution of the league, with the evolution of the teams and Inter (Miami) gave me an opportunity to be there,” said the 60-year-old manager in his first press conference for the club.
