Is Rice the difference to last season?
- Published
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter Simon Stone has been answering your questions.
Nick asked: Has Declan Rice made the difference to Arsenal in the title race compared with last year?
Simon replied: I think so. I have never made any secret of the fact I am a huge Declan Rice fan.
He was clearly captaincy material from a young age at West Ham and I felt he would stop Arsenal’s performance levels dropping off the way they did last season. Yes, he conceded a penalty at Tottenham but that is one moment in one game.
Someone like Rice has the calm mentality to restore order when situations are going wrong.
In the end, it may not be enough this season because Manchester City are a phenomenal team but Rice is a key element of Arsenal running them closer. That said, I would like to see him scoring more goals.