Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice should be more adventurous with his passing, according to ex-England striker Gary Lineker. Rice stunned the continent on Tuesday night with an imperious performance against Real Madrid.
His two astonishing free-kicks saw the £105 million star deliver a major blow to Madrid’s Champions League hopes, as the Gunners fired three past Los Blancos without reply in the quarter-final first-leg tie.
Mikel Merino piled on the misery for Carlo Ancelotti’s side with a third, but the night belonged to Rice. While Lineker and Alan Shearer have been singing the praises of Rice, the ex-Leicester forward believes the 26-year-old can elevate his game even further, reports Football London.
“He’s brilliant at running with the ball and bursting through the lines,” Lineker said. “And I think he’s actually a better passer than he thinks he is himself.
“That’s the only one thing about his game, I would say. Take a few more chances with your passing going forward, as a striker you’d appreciate that.
“But when I watch him and his delivery, it’s not really a massive surprise that he can do something like that from a free kick because he’s accurate from his corners, for example. If you can be that accurate with the ball, you can do it from 25 yards out.”
Shearer believes Rice can also add to his game by further focusing on his attacking duties. “He got into so many good forward positions. They [Madrid] couldn’t handle him,” the former Newcastle striker said.
“Even in the first half, he made two or three really clever runs into the box, and he’s brilliant at that. He needs to do that. I think he needs to do that more often because he’s outstanding at that.”
Speaking post-match, Rice conceded that the night felt like major touchstone in his career. “It’s not going to hit me yet because there’s another leg to go. I’m excited,” he said. “I’m happy, I’m over the moon. In a few years’ time it will hit me that what I’ve done tonight is really special.”
Ex-Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand also joined the chorus of praise for Rice, suggesting the match was a defining moment in his career.
“Every top player needs a standout moment,” Ferdinand said on Rio Reacts. “[Steven] Gerrard had loads, [Frank] Lampard had many of them and [Paul] Scholes had many of them.
“He hadn’t had that yet in an Arsenal shirt. This was that moment. I don’t think he needs to be as good or anything like Gerrard because I don’t think that can be reincarnated. But Declan Rice can be Declan Rice. That can be a hell of a player still.”
Arsenal will travel to the Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday with their 3-0 lead to take on Madrid in the second leg.
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