Declan Rice’s outburst & why Arsenal’s biggest opponents are themselves | OneFootball

Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points with a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest. Not that you’d know it.

Manchester City’s defeat earlier in the day meant the opportunity to create a nine-point gap had been squandered.

Frustration was etched on Arsenal’s faces like a melting clock on a Salvador Dali painting. None more so than Declan Rice, the team’s spiritual leader.

Rice has always had a performative streak, right back to his West Ham days when he’d throw his arms up in despair at any misplaced pass.

And you didn’t need one of those amateur lip readers newspapers love to call upon to decipher the midfielder’s reaction to dropping points at the City Ground.

“F*cking sh*t, every f*ucking time,” he said as the camera operator started mentally spending their New Year bonus for capturing this little nugget.

While Rice may have been better advised to express his feelings away from the public eye, it did lay bare a season-long hunch that Arsenal are struggling to enjoy themselves.

They are clearly the best team in the Premier League, as their rivals take turns passing the crisis baton between them.

The decision to increase their squad depth over the summer was the patently correct one in an age where the calendar is over-stuffed.

But this was another stodgy performance by Arsenal, with attacking patterns that are rudimentary and creative wit naked to the human eye.

Mikel Arteta has a blindspot. Everything is geared towards out-of-possession structure, with players who can press hard, track back and win their duels preferred over more cerebral talents.

Eberechi Eze was only given a brief cameo, despite Martin Odegaard’s underwhelming display. Ethan Nwaneri is also being starved of minutes.

Arteta has a singular vision in attack, which involves pumping crosses into the box. Who are they crossing to? Certainly not Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal’s new Jeffers, who was awful once again.

This is the football of athleticism over aesthetics. Arteta is making players fit into his vision rather than building an attack using their strengths. An attacking coach should be a priority.

But the simmering tension at Arsenal, which never needs much encouragement to boil over, is as much mental as it is physical.

The long wait for a Premier League title, especially after three successive runner-up finishes, was always likely to make this season a fraught one.

Their summer business, while sensible as previously mentioned, was geared towards winning this year. Sin excusas.

It feels like Arsenal fans are scared of revelling in their team’s success, paralysed by the fear it’ll go wrong and they’ll be the subject of social media mockery.

And the players aren’t immune either. Stage fright explains several of Arsenal’s performances this year, trying to manage games instead of trusting in their own ability.

But the good times aren’t forever. Once they’ve taken an indefinite leave and Europa League qualification is the new goal, plenty of supporters will feel they should’ve enjoyed this more.

For all the noise, Arsenal extended their lead at the Premier League summit yesterday. That deserves a smile, not self-afflicted shame.