The Everton manager has worked with Declan Rice at West Ham United and believes the 26-year-old English midfielder is one of the most skilled players currently in the game.
It probably came as no consolation to Everton fans, but at least their manager was half as good as the lovely photo the standout player posted on social media in the defeat to Arsenal. After his dominant performance in a brutal game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, Declan Rice posted a snap of himself and a beaming David Moyes in the dressing room on Instagram with a sweet caption.
“I will be forever grateful to this person!” Nice. Moyes, by contrast, was suitably humble, downplaying the importance of his role in Rice’s progress during their time together at West Ham United (they were together for a total of four years during Moyes’ tenure).
“Declan has improved himself,” said Moyes. “It wasn’t my fault. Declan was always going to be a great player. Thanks to Mikel, he became a real top player. Declan made him a real top player.”
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“He’s a great player. Above all, he’s a great player. That’s why he’ll be given a chance. He’s also a great player. He has a lot of great qualities.”
And Moyes had the highest praise for Rice when assessing the performance of his Tim Irogbunam. “He (Irogbunam) played against probably the best midfielder in the world,” the Everton manager said.
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Unsurprisingly, manager Mikel Arteta hinted at his agreement, saying: “[Declan’s]incredible all-round play, his leadership on the pitch, the amount of balls he won for us to run on. He’s been incredibly consistent this year as well. What a big player he is for us.”
With a midfield missing Idrissa Guye and Iliman Ndiayi, Rice will always have a good chance to shine in this game. And Rice, more than anyone else, was the player who ensured that Arsenal – despite their untidy nature – laid the foundations from which to claim some kind of victory.
It was the first time in more than two months that the Gunners had started a Premier League game in a position other than the top flight. And while there was a lucky element to the win – an inexplicable handball from Jake O’Brien in the first half saw Victor Goqueres seal the deal from the penalty spot – Arteta’s men were very professional and very businesslike.
Unsurprisingly, they were soon reminded that it was only the fifth time in the Premier League era that they were top of the table at Christmas. He hasn’t won the last four times, finishing runner-up three times and third place one time.
But despite Manchester City turning the pressure dial, there is a steeliness to this vintage that bodes well for the second half of the season. Bukayo Saka’s businesslike attitude was certainly evident following the victory.
“There’s really no emotion there,” he said. “We eliminate emotion. We just know we’re focused on our work.
“After last week, we are focused on this week. We are back in the lead but we are not paying too much attention to City or the other teams.”
“We’re in control right now. We know if we win every week we’ll stay there.”
It’s true that Arsenal can’t win every week. But if Rice can stay healthy, their challenge will center on what a great judge like Moyes believes is the best midfielder in the world. And this time, it could make a difference.
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