Declan Rice Answers Graeme Souness Over “Old Man’s Football” and “Cheating” Claim

• Declan Rice has answered Graeme Souness’s claim that he plays “old man’s football” and is “cheating”, per Mirror.
• Rice said that for a centre-back his numbers “are not bad”, and pointed to Harry Kane dropping next to the centre backs 20 to 30 times in a game.
• He spoke in Madrid ahead of England’s Nations League game against Spain on Sunday night, which will be his 82nd cap.

Rice Turns the Souness Row Into a Lesson in How Midfielders Play Now

Declan Rice has answered Graeme Souness with a joke about his own numbers. Souness, who is 73 and was a Liverpool midfielder before he became a TV pundit, said the England midfielder spends too much time in defence. He called it “old man’s football” and used the word “cheating”. Rice is aware of what Souness has said and laughed it off. Speaking in Madrid ahead of England’s game against Spain on Sunday night, the Arsenal player said: “For a centre-back, I think my numbers are not bad!”

What Souness Said and How Rice Replied

Souness has long believed Rice does not do enough for a midfielder. Recently he said Rice might as well play centre-back, and added that he would not get a game for Real Madrid or Barcelona. Souness said: “A lot of the time, he doesn’t play in midfield. I think he may be a centre-half. He’s back there all the time. It’s old man’s football. It’s cheating. An old man’s way of playing midfield.”

Rice has a record to point to. He helped Arsenal win their first title in 22 years and England reach the World Cup semi-final in July. He started with the numbers: “My numbers since I joined Arsenal speak for themselves. I think I’ve had a lot of assists, a lot of goals and to be a top-class centre-back getting those numbers I’m delighted with that!”

Then he turned to the man himself. “Look, Graeme’s got his opinion. I think he’s had his opinion probably since my West Ham days, if I’m being honest with you. But it’s one of them things. As an ex-pro you’re going to have an opinion on something.”

He did not try to change anything. “I’ve seen his views. I can’t change his opinion. I can only do what I do, which is go on the pitch, perform, play well and block out the noise. I can’t really say much because he was way before my time … I didn’t really get to see Graeme as a player.”

Rice kept his tone friendly. “Obviously I know him as a pundit. So I’m sure if I met him in person there would be no disrespect there. I’d shake his hand. I’d chat with him. Yeah, it doesn’t matter. It’s an opinion at the end of the day. It’s football.”

The Harry Kane Argument

Rice has already backed Kane for the Ballon d’Or, and this time he used the England captain to argue that positions have changed. Rice said: ‘If you speak about the positioning, the “old man’s football”, look at Harry Kane, for instance,’ and went on: “We played him the other week and he dropped next to the centre backs 20-30 times to pick up the ball. The game is different now. It’s what the game demands, to get away from your man, to go into different areas to create overloads, to create two v ones, to progress the ball up the pitch. Football is way different. It’s changed a lot, and you’re always trying to look for tactical advantages.”

He then described his own work with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. “In terms of me as a midfielder, I’m constantly watching clips with Mikel (Arteta). He’s constantly coaching me on the pitch. How I can progress the ball from deep, drop next to the goalkeeper, go to full back to get on the ball, to take the ball up the pitch.”

Rice ended on respect for Souness. “So, I feel like we’re now seeing something totally different to what he would see, but in his time football was different. He was a top-class midfielder who won lots of stuff. There’s no argument against him. As a pundit, as a person, his career, you have to respect what he’s done.”

The Stage in Madrid

Rice will win his 82nd cap in Madrid on Sunday night and is set to start as an advanced midfielder. The game at the Metropolitano decides who tops the Nations League group, and it follows the last meeting with Spain, a 3-2 defeat at Wembley in which Kane slipped and hit the crossbar from the penalty spot.

Rice was just as direct about the Spain game. “This is massive. You are going away to the Metropolitano, playing the world champions in a game to see who can top the group. I don’t think it can get any bigger than that.”

“We have a massive motive to win the group, to beat Spain, as the away team would be a massive thing for us. Already, the mindset is in a really good place, the manager’s messaging has been really good so we need to go there and put on a performance.”

Souness has his view and Rice has his. Kane, the player Rice used as his example, ended England’s 25 year wait for the Ballon d’Or with his Ballon d’Or win. Rice says he can only do what he does: go on the pitch, perform and block out the noise.

WRITTEN BY

George Howson

George Howson is a Futbol Chronicle contributor and accredited journalist with over 20 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, George has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing deep knowledge and first-hand insight to every match report and analysis he writes.

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