The Sapelli of Declan Rice have a long awaited shades of Yaya Toure

Declan Rice was the Arsenal of the game against Real Madrid last week with his two goals in a free kick. And it was again on Saturday-with the help of David Raya and Thomas Party-Mentre faced Brentford in a 1-1 draw inserted between the two legs of the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Using his first touch to push Raya’s bowl away from Mikkel Damsgaard, the international England was away. He showed why he was quickly nicknamed “Cavallo” by his Arsenal teammates after signing in 2023, needing only another seven seconds to go to the Brentford box before placing the ball to finish.

Carry was appropriate, as in his pre-match press conference, the manager of Arsenal Mikel Arte had spoken “… the different ways in which he (rice) can create moments inside and around the box. Whether it’s helping or scoring, because it has all the qualities. It can come across the box, can eliminate people dribbling, has a long -range shot and has a delivery from the pieces. It can decide games with very different tools. “

Immerse yourself in the section in execution of its toolbox in a game that would have been easy to overcome showed what the rice speaks.

Assistance was his sixteenth involvement in all competitions this season, equivalent to his best career of last season. That count was struck identically (seven goals and nine assists) but in seven less games and speaks of the side of his game which was slightly shaded by his kicks of punishment against Real Madrid. After putting Arsenal 2-0, it was his pulmonary forward race that helped create their third goal, scored by Mikel Merino in the 75th minute.

Rice who took flight against Brentford remembered the midfielders who openly idolized from his West Ham United Days – Yaya Toure and Patrick Vieira. The race was similar to a Tour concluded by scoring its 20th goal in the Premier League of the 2013-14 season against Aston Villa, with both players in total control of their respective situations.

Rice actually asked Toure of this moment The YouTube channel of the goal in November 2022. “Do you think you can do it more? “He started. “My family always tells me now that I am starting to run ahead with the ball and overcome people, they tell me to do it more and more. DOr do you think that every time you had the ball you could have gone to the race and beat two or three players? “

Toure replied: “It depends. Physically, I was really good, but sometimes I tried to control that physicality. There were games in which I could only do what I wanted and run, but I had to understand that I had players around me who could keep the ball.”

That understanding of the When It is probably a factor in why bursts like this does not always happen. Another is the fact that Arsenal and Manchester City at the time usually not given so much space to attack as Rice and Toure got their races.

Arte has admitted post-brentford that those moments depend on the opponent’s behavior, with the pressure oriented to man sometimes helping to create gaps that Rice tried to exploit in the first half before obtaining a clearer race from the corner in the second half.

These last two games were not the first time that rice has undertaken these types of slopes. In an Arsenal shirt, he made an incredible run out of the ball from the depth of May 2024, which saw him enter the box not marked to score. Almost impressive as its 97th minute race.

More memorable, however, marked a pending goal to win the European Conference League of 2022-23, in the quarter-final against Gent.

Making the initial equipment and then starting its race in half of the West Ham, he brought the ball strongly before making it slip at home with his left foot.

A theme in each of these rice races is its awareness while it runs at full speed. Against Brentford, he sprang the pressure in midfield and then had the presence of the mind to play apart from shooting. Against Bournemouth, he identified the space and curved his race to attack him perfectly. Against Gent, he took a touch inside and then to invade the defender just before entering the box as if it were a wing.

Everyone also arrived in the second half, showing how effective it can be when others can be tiring in a game.

The Gent race came two years after Rice had already checked the name Toure and Vieira as midfielders who wanted to emulate.

Speaking with Sky Sports in March 2021, when he was asked by Jamie Carragher if there was more in his game than being a seal midfielder, a 22 -year -old Rice said: “Yes, surely. Many people see more like a simple and basic player who gets it, gives it and protects the four rear, but my teammates, the manager and I know what I have in my locker.

“I want to show people that I can be exciting and bring the ball forward. I have a great athleticism and look at the best players over the years like Yaya Toure and Vieira, there is still a long way to go to their level, but the way they led the ball to the field and bring their team forward is something I am trying to learn and add to my game.”

Toure’s career could have more directed parallels to that of Rice compared to that of Vieira, and not only because of the long runs that ended in scoring. Toure admitted that he was not until he joined Manchester City who heard he had a real striker in midfield. Pep Guardiola used him more deeply in midfield in Barcelona and even the central defender in the 2009 Champions League final. He was given more license to come forward in the city, which saw his influence grow.

Toure was already 27 years old when he joined City in 2010, but he showed that there was more in his game. Rice has signed for Arsenal at 24 years old and is now 26 years old, but continues to show how rounded his game is after having arrived as a central defender in West Ham. Last spring, he was with his sets sets, this time, he was with his precision of punishment football-I Toure did not show completely until he was 30 years old in the 2013-14 season.

When asked if he talks about particular players as a post-brentford reference points, Arte said: “It can always know the best midfielders and the times of their arrivals and the way they get goals, but I think it can focus on itself.”

Scene at 75 minutes, the signature of the Arsenal record has another game to print its incoming authority. The fact that he was so willing to do it against Brentford after the high stage of the first stage against Real Madrid should show exactly where his mind is in view of the second stage of this week.

(Photo above: David Price/Getty Images)