Ex-Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has called for Declan Rice to “be given a rest” after “struggling physically and mentally” in recent games.

Speaking to Instant Casino, Petit said that the lack of rotation is causing major problems for Mikel Arteta’s side and Rice’s rather average performances are the result of him playing too many minutes:

“Arsenal needs some players to raise their level on the pitch, but they’re missing something very important for me. They’re missing important players in midfield. You can see that in terms of rotation. Declan Rice should be given a rest. I’m watching him and you can see that he’s struggling physically and mentally.”

“I’m worried about that because it’s not the same for Manchester City. The loss of Rodri has been hard to deal with, but they have options on the bench and are not worried about his absence. When key players are out at City, they cope. They’ve demonstrated that for the last two years. They can cope with missing important players in the first 11, no problem at all.”

Rice’s form is a concern

The midfielder has scored 0 goals and provided just 1 assist in 9 Premier League appearances so far this campaign. That is a substantial drop off from his first season at the Emirates following his £105m move from West Ham.

During the 2023/24 campaign, Rice averaged a goal involvement every 2.38 league games. Considering that he has been playing alongside a holding midfielder in Thomas Partey this season too, allowing him to get forward more frequently, he should actually be getting into scoring positions more often, not less.

Arsenal have bigger problems in other areas

It’s probably fair to say that Arteta has more immediate concerns than Rice. The club are struggling to create chances in the final third of the pitch and the absence of captain Martin Odegaard has definitely hurt them.

The Norwegian international is now back in training, though, and he could well face Chelsea this weekend.

Find out who is in Arsenal’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here