Declan Rice is emerging as a candidate for Arsenal's player of the season title. The Gunners have just completed their Premier League title mission and Rice is the brightest star on that journey.
Also with this high form, the "Gunners" have reached the Champions League final. Here, they will face the strongest team in the world at this time, PSG. One of the factors that makes up the success of the Ligue 1 representative is the almost perfect midfield with the trio Fabian Ruiz - Joao Neves - Vitinha. Rice will have to face these stars and this will be a huge challenge.
Vitinha is PSG's tactical brain. This season, he has contributed 17 goals and assists for the Parc des Princes team. Vitinha's greatest strength is not in statistics on goals or assists, which is the overarching playing style and doing the task of all positions in the midfield area. The Portuguese midfielder can recover the ball, regulate the tempo, advance the ball or rush into the opponent's penalty area to score goals. Vitinha is considered the most complete midfielder in the world at this time.
Joao Neves is somewhat not as outstanding as his compatriot, but he is always an indispensable piece alongside Vitinha. Neves' strength lies in defensive ability, being the link between the defense and midfield. Occasionally he also has special moments, such as an assist in the match against Liverpool (quarter-finals) or a header into Bayern Munich's net (semi-finals).
Fabian Ruiz is injured a lot this season, so the dedicated period is interrupted. However, he will return on Saturday evening this week. The strongest ability of the Spanish midfielder is his dribbling skills in narrow spaces and unfixed positions, which are very difficult to read. Occasionally, Ruiz also has powerful long shots that change the situation.
Looking at PSG's midfield, you can see that Declan Rice will face countless difficulties even though he still has other teammates by his side. Remember in last year's confrontation, Arsenal lost to PSG when Rice was overtaken by the opponent's technically gifted players. The Gunners fans probably still remember the times Kvicha Kvaratskhelia or Ousmane Dembele overcame Rice.
Rice understands that to beat PSG, preventing the strength of the opponent's stars cannot reach 100%. Therefore, he and his teammates need to consider other options. Last season, Arsenal had many opportunities but could not take advantage of them, Rice believes that the next match will be different.
Last season, we had many opportunities but didn't seize them, that is the biggest lesson after the defeat to PSG" - Rice shared before the final.
The question for Mikel Arteta at this time is who will play alongside Rice in midfield to face PSG's very strong midfield? Martin Zubimendi is going through a period of not as good form as at the beginning of the season when his fitness is seriously eroded. The last time the Spanish midfielder contributed to a goal was in February.
If Zubimendi does not start, will the opportunity be given to Myle Lewis-Skelly? In the final stage of the season, Arteta unexpectedly gave the opportunity to play midfielder for the English star and received a worthy reward. Lewis-Skelly is younger and is very fit, so if he needs someone to sweep with Rice, Arteta should choose his 19-year-old student.
Arsenal not being able to hold the ball much in midfield is an easy-to-imagine scenario, so Rice must focus on the task of making it difficult for PSG's trio. Rice can play "number 6" and "number 8", but in a match where defensive tasks are prioritized, Rice may play low for most of the time to support the defensive system against PSG's storm attacking trio.
Rice is clearly aware that he is a top player in the Premier League. If he wins a double title in the club season and plays well at the World Cup, the Ballon d'Or is unlikely to slip out of this midfielder's hands. Among Arsenal's midfielders, only Rice is qualified enough to compare with PSG's stars in the same lineup. Therefore, he needs to prove himself in the biggest match of his career.
