Emmanuel Petit shocked by ‘unrecognisable’ Arsenal star’s Euro 2024 struggles

Emmanuel Petit is concerned about the shape of England’s midfield (Picture: Getty0

Emmanuel Petit claims Arsenal star Declan Rice has looked ‘unrecognisable’ playing for England during the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 campaign.

The former West Ham captain enjoyed a stunning debut season for the Gunners following his club record £100 million transfer.

Rice has been a mainstay of the England sides that have performed admirably at recent major tournaments under Gareth Southgate, but has been among a number of high-profile players who have struggled to replicate their club form over the course of the last three weeks.

The 25-year-old started the tournament alongside a makeshift partner in Trent Alexander-Arnold, before Gareth Southgate ditched that experiment and promoted Conor Gallagher.

Kobbie Mainoo has since replaced the Chelsea stalwart and England have looked marginally better for the presence of the teenager but Petit still fears the balance in midfield represents a major concern.

‘I don’t recognise Declan Rice playing for England as he isn’t playing the same position as he does for Arsenal,’ he told Gambling.com.

‘I really like when Declan Rice plays as a box-to-box player as he can support the strikers and be close to the penalty area, shooting from outside the box.

Declan Rice has looked a shadow of his usual self for England at Euro 2024 (Picture: Getty)

‘The fact he is playing as a holding midfielder doesn’t make sense to me, he can’t play there.

‘You are only getting around 60% of his quality by doing so. I think the lack of confidence is not helping him.

‘Declan Rice is not playing in the same environment he has at his club. Arteta and Arsenal have a very clear DNA on the pitch and this isn’t the case with the National team.

‘You can see they are struggling as a team, so I am not surprised Rice hasn’t been able to give his best so far for England in that position.

‌’I watched the last game and the midfield has been trouble. There are a lot of players in the team that are so far away from their usual level and a lot of players look exhausted.

‌’You can change whatever you want, tactically, the spine, everything – but a lot of players look exhausted mentally and physically. That worries me most for England.’

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