IN the Dubai vigor backmost successful January 2024, Arsenal stumbled upon Declan Rice’s red-hot corner-taking prowess.
Following his £105m summertime determination from West Ham, midfielder Rice took conscionable 3 Prem corners successful 20 appearances to commencement the 2023-24 run earlier the club’s mid-season travel to the Middle East connected January 8.
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Getty
GettyAfter a dismal tally of 1 triumph successful 5 implicit the festive period, the wintertime sunshine was the catalyst for Arsenal’s awesome run-in of 16 wins and a gully from their past 18 league matches.
Ultimately, inactive falling abbreviated connected the last day, finishing 2 points disconnected champions Manchester City.
An added and unexpected bonus of that Dubai campy was Gunners set-piece guru Nicolas Jover discovering and honing Rice’s wand of a close ft from dead-ball situations, specifically corners.
What caught Jover’s oculus was Rice’s consistency of placement and the uncommon quality to alteration his transportation benignant — from his looped curlers to the backmost station to much nonstop near-post drillers.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta said: “Declan has been determination since we decided to usage him due to the fact that of his unbelievable deliveries. He is truthful consistent.
“We person scored a batch of goals. That curve, that level, is intolerable to maintain. We knew it would fluctuate truthful we person to amended again.”
From January 20, 2024 to the extremity of the season, Rice took 44 Prem corners, producing 4 assists successful wins against Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham.
It was that 6-0 thumping of his erstwhile Hammers connected February 11, 2024 that truly stood out.
Saka managed 3 assists from 50 corners successful the Premier League earlier his wounded this season
Rice has been acold little effectual from corners this seasonCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
Rice’s country saw William Saliba unfastened the scoring and his free-kick was headed successful by Gabriel, not to notation a curling worldie of his ain to wrapper things up against his aged chums successful East London.
Arsenal had recovered their concealed weapon. With Rice’s deliveries from the near and Bukayo Saka’s from the right, they ended the 2023-24 run with a associated Prem grounds of 16 goals from 265 corners.
That is an mean of 7 corners per crippled and 1 extremity each 16 corners. In short, a near-guarantee of goals.
But 12 months connected from that London Stadium battering, successful different rubric race, with West Ham the opponents again connected Saturday, Arsenal’s dead-ball bullies person gone quiet.
There is nary request for panic. Arteta’s men stay apical of the Prem’s country tally this word with 10 goals from 162 taken — 4 much than nearest challengers Aston Villa, and of Saka’s 10 league assists, 3 person travel from corners.
But Arsenal’s fearsome aura has faded successful caller weeks, particularly aft Saka tore his hamstring astatine Crystal Palace connected December 21.
With Saka retired until astatine slightest mid-March, the work has fallen connected Rice. The assortment they erstwhile had that saw absorption defenders scrambling is missing.
Saka would loft 1 to the backmost station for an incoming Gabriel from the right, and moments aboriginal Rice would fizz different to the adjacent station for a flick-on — a transportation that connected mean is fractional a ft lower.
The numbers person besides taken a hit. Since April 2024, Rice has registered conscionable 1 Prem assistance from corners.
In fact, the midfielder has conscionable 1 assistance from 69 corners taken this word — and nary assists from the 21 helium has taken since Saka went nether the knife.
Rice has been unfortunate not to person much assists — his transportation successful the 1-1 gully astatine Fulham connected December 8 was tapped successful by Saliba AFTER Kai Havertz had helped it on.
And Arsenal’s past extremity from a country connected January 15 — from yet different Rice transportation — went down arsenic a Dominic Solanke ain extremity from Gabriel’s header successful the 2-1 location triumph implicit Tottenham.
But since then, 30 Prem corners person travel and gone successful games against Aston Villa, Wolves, Manchester City and Leicester with thing for touchline prowlers Arteta oregon Jover to wildly celebrate.
Ten points from a imaginable 12 successful that tally should not beryllium sniffed at, particularly with Arsenal’s wounded crisis, but with Rice disconnected the set-piece boil and Ethan Nwaneri and Leandro Trossard struggling to replicate Saka’s country routines, Arteta volition beryllium wanting more.
The Gunners were backmost successful Dubai this period with set-pieces connected the agenda.
Ironically, it was a country drill that saw German striker Havertz effort to artifact a changeable and prime up a season-ending hamstring wounded retired there.
Arteta has been routinely mocked for his Tony Pulis-esque approach.
But the Spaniard knows that with nary recognised centre-forward and a existent deficiency of attacking fluidity, corners could beryllium their champion stake successful chasing down leaders Liverpool and keeping their rubric dreams alive.
Rice’s close ft volition beryllium successful the spotlight much than ever.
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Getty
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