Graeme Souness Critiques Declan Rice's Midfield Role

Graeme Souness has launched a stinging critique of Declan Rice, accusing Arsenal’s £105 million man of playing “old man’s football” and insisting he does not belong among Europe’s elite midfielders.

The former Liverpool captain used Arsenal’s recent 2-1 win over Chelsea as his reference point, picking apart Rice’s role in the build-up on Piers Morgan’s Football Uncensored show. What he saw, he said, was not a modern midfield general, but an auxiliary defender.

“He plays too deep to affect the game”

Souness repeatedly highlighted Rice’s tendency to drop right onto the last line when Arsenal start their attacks.

“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.”

From there, the 71-year-old turned the criticism up another notch, branding that style of play a cop-out for central midfielders.

“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.”

Souness did not deny Rice’s quality without the ball. In fact, he called him the best defensive midfielder in the country. But he argued that the Arsenal man’s starting position strangles his ability to truly shape matches.

“He (Rice) plays too deep to affect the game,” Souness 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.”

“He may be a centre-half”

The criticism went beyond positioning. Souness openly questioned whether Rice should even be classed as a midfielder at the very top level.

“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.”

It was a harsh assessment wrapped around a few compliments: good technique, clean striking of the ball, strong defensive radar. Yet Souness kept returning to one core complaint – Rice, in his eyes, does not dominate games as a top midfielder should.

Not in Europe’s elite bracket

When the conversation turned to Rice’s supposed “world-class” status, Souness did not hesitate. He simply does not see the Arsenal and England man at that level.

“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. 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.”

That, for Souness, is the crux. Too many safe touches, too many easy passes, too much comfort. Not enough of the risk and authority he associates with the best holding midfielders.

Blame for England’s World Cup exit

Souness then widened the lens to the international stage, pointing to England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina in the summer. When England went 1-0 up, he argued, the midfield failed to take control.

“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 Souness, that moment summed up his wider concern. In the biggest games, with the pressure at its highest, he believes Rice retreats instead of dictating.

The debate around Rice’s price tag and status will rage on at Arsenal and with England. But with Souness now planting a flag so firmly against the “world-class” label, how Rice responds in the next wave of title and tournament battles will be watched even more closely.