‘I Don’t Like All That’—Declan Rice Has One Trait Torn Apart by Man Utd Legend

The characteristic pinpointed by Paul Scholes is part of a wider trend at Arsenal.

Declan Rice (left) has come under fire from Paul Scholes. | Rob Newell-CameraSport/Robbie Jay Barratt-AMA/Getty Images

Manchester United’s iconic former midfielder Paul Scholes has criticised Declan Rice’s overly emotional approach to matches, which plays into a wider perception of Arsenal’s fragile title tilt.

Rice has been one of the division’s top performers this season yet made an uncharacteristic error in the first half of last Sunday’s north London derby. After gathering his teammates together in a huddle following Eberechi Eze’s opener, the England international demanded “composure” and calm—all of which he failed to deliver when presenting Randal Kolo Muani with the equalising goal 24 seconds after the restart.

Scholes is not prone to outward shows of emotion on or off the pitch and argued that the best leaders should have their feelings in check during the heat of battle. “When Roy [Keane] was getting the team together and leading the team really well, there was a certain calmness about it,” the former United icon mused on his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Football. “When I look at Declan Rice, he almost looks too emotional.

“He’s lively, he’s, ‘Come on! Come on! Come on!’ And then he makes his mistake. When you’re going for a league title, when you’ve got tough games, there has to be a calmness about you. I think potentially [he’s a captain]. It’s just when I look at him now, he’s so emotional.”

“I don’t like all that [Rice geeing up the crowd just moments before Kolo Muani’s goal]. I don’t like people being so emotional like that. People will call me a miserable b------ and say that you don’t want to take emotion out of the game.

“And of course we don’t, we want emotion but it has to be in the right way. Scoring goals and celebrating, that’s great. But game-management in game situations, there needs to be a calmness.”

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Concerns Over Rice Part of Wider Arsenal Issues

Arsenal are five points ahead of Manchester City at the Premier League summit. | Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside/Getty Images

Rice is hardly the only Arsenal player to be accused of playing with too much emotion. This trait has dogged Mikel Arteta’s side throughout their failed title challengers, with critics eager to line up and accuse the Gunners of “over-celebrating” wins long before the final furlong of the league season.

The reverse is also true. Arteta revealed that after dropping two points to Wolverhampton Wanderers last week it felt “like the end of the world.” The entire squad was “feeling angry, upset, ashamed at some point.”

The concept of never getting too high after a win or too low after a draw or defeat appears to be difficult to grasp for Arteta’s side. Over the past three seasons, which have produced a trio of runners-up finishes, Arsenal have undoubtedly demonstrated the technical quality to win at least one Premier League title, yet they have fallen short on each occasion.

Rodri put it down to something more intangible. “I think the difference was in here,” the Manchester City midfielder beamed after winning the 2023–24 title while pointing to his temple. “I think it comes down to mentality.”

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Rice Accepts Criticism With a Smile

Declan Rice did not have the perfect performance on Sunday. | Glyn KIRK/AFP/Getty Images

Rice did not dwell on his error for long. The 27-year-old reacted by laughing and quickly apologising to his teammates before delivering a typically composed performance. Immediately after the blunder, social media was awash with unflattering memes at Rice’s expense, many of which compared him to Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard who infamously told his teammates that they would not let the 2013–14 league title slip before losing his footing in a decisive defeat to Chelsea that season.

Basking in the satisfaction of Arsenal’s 4–1 win, Rice set about liking several of these posts after the final whistle.

Arteta was in awe of his midfielder’s response on the pitch. “We said at half time, we carry on playing, and talk about the attitude. What Declan has done today ... ” the Arsenal boss reflected, trailing off in astonishment. “He made an error, the way he played afterwards, that’s attitude, and to have personality, and courage and to stand up in a difficult moment.”

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