Arsenal: Declan Rice shows he is best midfielder in Europe on night Ballon d'Or winner 'named' | OneFootball

Rice has taken his game to new level and is primed for Moises Caicedo showdown

After this dismantling of Bayern, it is hard to argue anyone is better than Arsenal.

Declan Rice was at the heart of the Bayern victory with a monstrous performance that saw him named player of the match.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank on Wednesday tipped Vitinha to win the Ballon d’Or next year but Rice is one of the best midfielders in Europe at the moment after taking his game to another level this season.

Rice was outstanding against Bayern

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Rice believes he is playing the best football of his career at the moment and he set the tone for Arsenal’s second-half performance.

The 26-year-old won the ball for Arsenal’s second goal, which put them back in front, while his bruising tackle on Harry Kane shortly after drew just as loud a cheer.

By that stage, Rice had the captain’s armband after Bukayo Saka had gone off and it was fitting given the way he drove the team forward.

Rice’s nickname in the Arsenal dressing room is ‘the Horse’, and it is easy to see why.

He was everywhere against Bayern and, even though they had 60 per cent possession, the German champions could hardly create anything, finishing with just two shots on target.

Rice’s athleticism is remarkable and also natural. Between the ages of 11 and 14, he was cross-country champion at his school and that ability to just keep on running has never left him.

Rice prefers to play two games a week instead of one because he feels that his recovery is better that way.

He is the only Arsenal player to have featured in every game this season and, even though the calendar is about to get congested, that is unlikely to change.

Rice is in the groove and a big reason for that is Martin Zubimendi.

Zubimendi’s arrival in the summer has unlocked Rice and given him even more freedom to get forward.

Rice is playing the best football of his career

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“It has been so easy to play with him,” said Rice. “We obviously only signed him in the summer, and usually to build a connection with a player it takes a while.

“But from the first moment we trained with each other in pre-season, I could just tell that I was going to play some good football with him.

“I just really, really liked him as a person, as a player, and as the games have gone on our understanding of each other has been outstanding.

“He’s Spain’s No6 and you know what Spanish No6s are like: they are the best at first-phase build-up, turning on the ball, playing forward and into pockets. That’s exactly what we have got with him. He’s an unbelievable player.”

One of the few midfielders who can compete with Rice right now is Moises Caicedo.

He has been in exceptional form this season and it is what makes Sunday’s encounter at Stamford Bridge so exciting.

Caicedo and Rice will go head to head, with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher likening it to the days when Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane would do battle.

“First and foremost, I have a lot of respect for Moises. I’ve played against him since his Brighton days, back when I was at West Ham,” said Rice.

“I voted for him last year in my PFA Team of the Year. I thought he was outstanding and he has started this year incredibly well.

“There are so many comparisons between us, but we are playing different positions. He is a full-blown No6 and I am more of a box-to-box No8.

“Sunday is going to be an interesting game, but the most important thing is I have a lot of respect for him, like Roy and Patrick did.

“It’s an exciting battle between us and it’s one that I’ll be ready for, for sure.”