Without Declan Rice, Arsenal’s lack of physicality in midfield hurt them against Spurs

A change felt needed as Arsenal readied themselves for the second half of their 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. They had shown their hand in allowing the visitors to try to build from the back in an attempt to catch them with their pressing traps, but were not truly dominant.

Kai Havertz lining up to come on was not a surprise, but Jorginho walking next to him provided intrigue, which then became surprise when Declan Rice’s number appeared on the fourth official’s board.

Mikel Arteta later explained that Fabio Vieira for Havertz was the tactical substitution and Rice was forced off with injury.

“He had some discomfort in his back,” Arteta said. “He was telling us during the first half that he was uncomfortable and when we assessed him at half-time he could not continue, so we had to change him… We have to assess him. It’s strange when a player like him asks to come off because he’s uncomfortable. Hopefully not (long term), but let’s see.”

Without question, Arsenal fans will hope Arteta is right. Arsenal were already missing Thomas Partey (groin), Jurrien Timber (knee), Gabriel Martinelli (hamstring) and Leandro Trossard (slight muscle issue) for this fixture and Rice’s substitution was a significant loss.

He has steadily improved on the ball in his short time at Arsenal, while his physicality separates him from others in his position across the league. The 24-year-old consistently took charge of midfield battles in his first Arsenal games and was awarded with the club’s player of the month award for August ahead of kick-off in the north London derby.

That is why Jorginho’s mistake for Son Heung-min’s second equaliser was not Arsenal’s most striking issue in the second half — it was how, without Rice, the lack of physicality in midfield impacted the game. Time and again, all it took for Tottenham to bypass Arsenal was one pass. Either James Maddison or Yves Bissouma to Pedro Porro or Dejan Kulusevski became an easy out ball for them to stride into the final third as gaps started to appear in the Arsenal midfield.

The issue is more pertinent because of Partey’s absence with a groin injury. Although Rice stands out because of how effectively he covers ground, Partey did that job well for Arsenal last season. A holding midfielder with that ability does not just help Arsenal in those deeper midfield areas but allows them to be more aggressive further up the pitch — as they were in the first half against Spurs with Rice in the team.

As usual, Arsenal were ready to press their opposition. Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus closed off Tottenham’s right, while Martin Odegaard stepped up on their left, supported by Vieira marking Bissouma and Rice stalking Maddison. Tottenham persisted and became more confident in their approach but struggled to play through Arsenal’s intensity in the first half an hour.

It was a similar setup to the one Arsenal used against Manchester City in the Community Shield. That day, the only difference was that Rice pushed up to man-mark the deepest midfielder instead of Vieira as he was the left-sided No 8, with Partey behind him. That setup (Partey and Rice in midfield with Odegaard) was something Arteta admitted he would “for sure” look to replicate in Arsenal’s bigger games but, for the short-term at least, he will not be able to.

“I don’t feel comfortable dominating the game without the ball,” said the manager before the game. “It’s something I don’t know how to do.” Yet, although Arsenal did not dominate the first half — Tottenham had 60 per cent of the ball at half-time — they were imposing. Their 11 regains in the final third stands as the joint-highest in a Premier League match under Arteta.

The fact they were not dominating is why there was a sense of impending change at half-time, however. Simply put, they did not carry their free-flowing performance against PSV Eindhoven into the weekend.

Arsenal’s opener came from their first attack into space, with just two passes needed between Oleksandr Zinchenko winning possession on halfway and Saka’s shot deflecting in off Cristian Romero. Gabriel Jesus’ big chance at 1-0 came from that organised, intense press as he won the ball off Maddison on the edge of the Tottenham box. Aside from those moments, Jesus’ well-saved shot at the back post came from a clipped cross from Saka.

Their collective sloppiness was summed up by Jorginho’s mistake and it stopped them from building real momentum throughout the game.

“I love him and we love him,” Arteta said of the midfielder. “Errors are part of football. They’re allowed to make errors because they play and we don’t play. For us, it’s really easy, but if there is someone who is willing to help the team and do the most of it, it’s Jorgi. We are all with him.

“There were moments where we played super hyped and these derbies and atmospheres take you there and you cannot play at the same pace when you don’t have the ball and when you get the ball back. We lacked that composure to be much more dangerous because we could have been.”

That lack of composure was also a deciding factor in Arsenal’s disappointing end to last season, as was missing a key player through a back injury.

With more points dropped, the return of free-flowing football and clarity in who is available becomes even more important. Especially with Champions League matches and a meeting with Manchester City looming next month.

(Top photo: Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)