Graeme Souness Critiques Declan Rice's Midfield Role
Graeme Souness has launched a scathing tactical takedown of Declan Rice, accusing Arsenal’s £105 million man of playing “old man’s football” and operating more like a centre-half than a midfielder.
The 27-year-old was central to Arsenal’s recent 2-1 win over title rivals Chelsea, but Souness used the performance as a springboard to question the fundamentals of Rice’s game on Piers Morgan’s Football Uncensored.
“Old man’s football” and playing as the last man
Souness zeroed in on Rice’s habit of dropping right onto the defensive line during Arsenal’s build-up.
“How many times do you see him as the last man with the ball,” he asked Morgan. “In the build-up, he's last man. He's sitting between two centre-halves or between the centre-half and the full-back. He's last man. A lot of the time, he doesn't play in midfield.”
For Souness, that positioning betrays the essence of the role.
“In my second or third home game (of my career), I went into the back four like all midfield players do today. It's old man's football. It's cheating. An old man's way of playing midfield. You get the ball under no pressure and you play it out to the full-back.”
He sees Rice as too safe, too deep, too detached from the real battle lines of midfield.
Best in England – but still not complete
Souness did not deny Rice’s strengths. In fact, he called him the standout specialist in his position domestically.
“He (Rice) plays too deep to affect the game,” he said. “I don't think he's got enough football. Let me tell you what he can do. He's the best defensive midfielder in the country right now, he smells danger. But then again, he's back there all the time.”
That, in Souness’ eyes, is the contradiction: elite defensive instincts, but deployed so close to the back four that his influence on the game’s tempo and creativity is blunted.
The former Liverpool captain went even further, suggesting Rice may be miscast altogether.
“He's not a midfield player then is he? I think he may be a centre-half. The ball travels faster than you do. I see him run with the ball 30 yards and pass it square. He's a lovely kicker of the ball and opens his body up well, there's nothing to dislike about him. But modern players are a bit precious. Criticism doesn't fall easily on these (players') shoulders. He isn't the complete midfield player.”
Not world-class? Souness unconvinced
The debate around Rice has increasingly focused on whether he belongs in the absolute elite bracket. Souness’ answer was blunt.
“I'm not sure if he gets in Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Man City,” he said. “If you want the best in that position, City had two of them - Fernandinho and Rodri. They played in midfield.”
For Souness, the comparison is damning. He painted a picture of Rice as too passive in possession, too willing to take the easy option.
“Next time, please watch him. He goes in and gets it cheap under no pressure, a 10-yard pass off Gabriel, and passes it sideways.”
The accusation is clear: Rice, he believes, is padding his involvement without truly dictating games at the highest level.
Blame for England’s World Cup exit
Souness even reached back to England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina in the summer, pinning a share of the responsibility on Rice and his midfield partner.
“When England went one-nil up against Argentina, they s*** themselves. 'Oh, what do we do now?' And I put that down to Declan Rice and [Elliot] Anderson as the central midfield players in the engine room,” he claimed. “They didn't get them playing. They went back in held hands with the back four.”
For a player widely hailed as the heartbeat of both club and country, it is a ferocious charge: that in the decisive moments, Rice retreated instead of taking control.
Arsenal and England clearly see him as a cornerstone for years to come. Souness, though, has thrown down a challenge: can Rice step out of the back line’s shadow and truly own the midfield he is supposed to command?
