{"id":97190,"date":"2023-12-08T23:27:21","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T23:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/?p=97190"},"modified":"2023-12-08T23:27:21","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T23:27:21","slug":"its-mighty-declan-rice-vs-super-douglas-luiz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/soccer\/its-mighty-declan-rice-vs-super-douglas-luiz\/","title":{"rendered":"It&apos;s mighty Declan Rice vs super Douglas Luiz"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1> It&#8217;s mighty Declan Rice vs super Douglas Luiz: Arsenal&#8217;s \u00a3105m man is out to nail Aston Villa&#8217;s free-scoring Brazilian midfield maestro in mouthwatering clash at Villa Park<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Aston Villa entertain Arsenal at Villa Park on Saturday evening in a crunch clash\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><span>Declan Rice is proving to be worth the \u00a3105m the Gunners splashed\u00a0out on him\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>It will do Arsenal no harm at all to have Arteta out of sight at Villa Park &#8211; It&#8217;s All Kicking Off<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Last summer, Declan Rice\u2019s next club was the hot topic in the red half of north London. Now all the talk is about his late goals and whether he can propel league leaders Arsenal past Aston Villa in Saturday&#8217;s mouthwatering clash.<\/p>\n<p>There was never any doubt in manager Mikel Arteta\u2019s mind where Rice would end up, despite the speculation in July.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018When I spoke to him, he mentioned to me many times from day one, \u201cI just want to play for Arsenal and I want to play with you\u201d, and he maintained his word to the last moment and we were good enough to acquire him,\u2019 Arteta revealed on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>And now the Gunners are being swept along on a tide of Rice fever, with \u2018Rice Rice Baby\u2019 being belted out in the away changing room at Luton Town on Tuesday night after the midfielder\u2019s 97th-minute winner. \u2018Dec the Halls\u2019 Christmas jumpers, adorned with the 24-year-old wearing a Santa hat, are flying off the shelves.<\/p>\n<p>Whether Arteta has bought one is unclear but the Spaniard is clearly impressed with his \u00a3105million midfielder.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/08\/20\/78752275-0-image-a-18_1702068307547.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Arsenal fought off competition to secure the signing of Declan Rice for \u00a3105m in the summer<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/08\/20\/78752231-0-image-m-20_1702068330694.jpg\" height=\"599\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The ex-West Ham star has shone and the Gunners are being swept along on a tide of Rice fever<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/08\/22\/78755079-12843467-image-a-40_1702073781048.jpg\" height=\"427\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Rice scored another crucial late goal against Luton on Wednesday to secure a vital victory\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He\u2019s extremely intelligent to read situations,\u2019 said Arteta, \u2018to break up play, to win crucial duels in certain areas of the pitch that allow us to counter and progress in really dangerous situations.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He gives us a presence and attitude that is very difficult to find in a holding midfielder, and he has become a key player. We have various opportunities in different games to use him in different ways in relation to what we expect from the game.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Then there are the leadership qualities that Rice brings. The club\u2019s executives are understood to have been impressed with the way he holds himself on and off the pitch, and he is well-liked by the staff.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He\u2019s really humble,\u2019 Arteta added, \u2018funny, really hardworking. He is extremely committed in everything he wants to do. He wants to win everything that he does. He\u2019s integrated in the team in a really positive way.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Rice has won two matches for the Gunners in stoppage time this season: with a deflected volley from Bukayo Saka\u2019s corner against Manchester United, and that last-gasp header against Luton. On top of that, his long-range strike at Chelsea helped Arsenal snatch an unlikely point. Without those goals, the table would look rather different.<\/p>\n<p>Another goal on Saturday evening would be most welcome for Arteta because Villa \u2014 with the influential Douglas Luiz driving them on from midfield \u2014 are unbeaten at home since a 4-2 defeat in February by the Gunners.<\/p>\n<p>Rice\u2019s late goals typify Arsenal\u2019s never-say-die attitude. Thirty per cent of their 33 league goals this season have been scored after the 75th minute. Only Liverpool, with 34 per cent, have plundered more late goals.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/08\/20\/78752239-0-image-a-21_1702068363927.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>On Saturday at Villa Park, he will come up against Aston Villa&#8217;s Brazilian maestro Douglas Luiz<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/08\/22\/78755077-12843467-image-a-41_1702073806662.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Luiz is Villa&#8217;s driving midfield force and he has scored six goals in all competitions this season<\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>And meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Rice has been vital in shielding the back line. Arsenal boast the best defensive record in the league, having kept the joint-most clean-sheets with Newcastle (six) and conceded the joint-fewest goals with Liverpool (14).<\/p>\n<p>Centre half William Saliba is enjoying playing behind Rice. \u2018He\u2019s a really good player,\u2019 said the Frenchman. \u2018Everyone can see it and he has helped us a lot, as you can see, and we are so happy to have him.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We hope he will keep going like this and avoid injury because we need him.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>On the title race, Saliba added: \u2018We have the experience of last season, of course we are better. Maybe we can go one better. It\u2019s early to say that, but we want to win every game.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It will be tighter this year because everyone is so close at the top and it will be harder to win it than last season. But we are ready for that.\u2019 Arsenal certainly need to be ready for what awaits them in the Midlands.<\/p>\n<p>Manchester City were brushed aside dismissively on Wednesday night by Unai Emery\u2019s spirited side, who have turned Villa Park into a fortress.<\/p>\n<p>Pep Guardiola\u2019s team put in an insipid display, but much of that was down to Villa\u2019s dogged defence and attacking flare. Knitting all that together was Luiz, who is having the season of his life. If Rice can trump the Brazilian and inspire an Arsenal win, the title talk in north London really would ramp up.<\/p>\n<p>The only issue in the Arsenal ranks is between the sticks. David Raya has made a series of errors since replacing Aaron Ramsdale as the No 1 in September, most notably for two of Luton\u2019s goals in midweek.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/08\/20\/78752343-0-image-a-22_1702068417930.jpg\" height=\"451\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>William Saliba admitted he is enjoying playing behind Rice and was full of praise for him<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/08\/20\/78747629-0-image-a-23_1702068526816.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The clash at Villa Park will be personal for Unai Emery, who left the Gunners four years ago\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It is understood that Arteta has no doubts about continuing with Raya, despite previously suggesting his goalkeepers were interchangeable.<\/p>\n<p>Emery will look to take advantage of any uncertainty and this fixture, of course, is personal for him. Wednesday marked four years since he was sacked by the Gunners. The 52-year-old inherited a Villa squad full of potential but down in 16th place and struggling under Steven Gerrard. In little more than a year, he has turned them into top-four contenders.<\/p>\n<p>Emery will not be in direct competition with Arteta on Saturday because his compatriot is confined to the stands, serving a touchline ban after a third yellow card of the season \u2014 shown for leaving his technical area to celebrate Rice\u2019s winner at Luton.<\/p>\n<p>But if the midfielder is on song once again on Saturday, there is every possibility \u2018Rice Rice Baby\u2019 will reverberate around the Villa Park changing rooms after the final whistle.<\/p>\n<h3>IT&#8217;S ALL KICKING OFF!\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span><span>It&#8217;s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span>It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/08\/02\/636x90_facebook_ad_sport.png\" width=\"636\" height=\"90\"><br \/>\nSource: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12843467\/Declan-Rice-Douglas-Luiz-Arsenal-Aston-Villa-Brazilian-Villa-Park.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s mighty Declan Rice vs super Douglas Luiz: Arsenal&#8217;s \u00a3105m man is out to nail Aston Villa&#8217;s free-scoring Brazilian midfield<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - 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