Declan Rice

[Valdo 583]

 

[Marvin123 527]

This is so gonna happen after jorginho leaves

[NikkiCFC 8,285]

Yeah WH interested in many of our players I can totally see this happening.

And from their pov lets say Emerson and RLC would help them in relegation battle more than Declan.

But still not sure he is the real deal for us.

[NikkiCFC 8,285]

Good defensively but many misplaced passes. 

[Valdo 583]

 

[Special Juan 28,088]

West Ham need the money, believe me if wave good money at them he comes here.

[R2D2 368]

Might be better if we wait until next season, who knows if Lampard will even be here, if he goes were stuck with this guy.

[Pizy 18,846]

27 minutes ago, Special Juan said:

West Ham need the money, believe me if wave good money at them he comes here.

Good money in this case is probably something silly like £70-80m. Which would be stupid unless we subsidize it by selling Jorginho, of course.

[Special Juan 28,088]

5 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Good money in this case is probably something silly like £70-80m. Which would be stupid unless we subsidize it by selling Jorginho, of course.

Jorginho will go and to soften the deal we send someone there on loan and cash. It won't be 70-80M straight cash no way.

[OneMoSalah 8,883]

If we are going to move Jorginho on for Rice that is probably as close to undoing some of the good work of this window in terms of squad building we will get.

Personally I know many wont be thrilled to watch Rice passing it sideways 90% of the time and small teams just letting us have the ball because he isnt progressive enough to play through the lines. Also under pressure he isnt great so imagine him v a City or a Liverpool? Unlike Jorginho. Unlike Kovacic. Even unlike Kante. So if Frank goes to this heralded 433 like City played last season, which many believe with Rice holding, Havertz and Mount more offensive, does that mean those two will have to come a lot lot deeper to get the ball out of our own half into the more forward players? Unlike at City where De Bruyne and Silva where always positioned in half spaces because Rodri and Fernandinho could find them further up and find other players also?

[MoroccanBlue 5,375]

What are Rice's stats in transition?

[Vesper 30,079]

14 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

What are Rice's stats in transition?

Declan Rice: West Ham's heartbeat

https://www.canningtownlen.com/post/the-woffenden-report

Declan Rice has enjoyed another outstanding campaign in claret & blue. An ever-present and a consistent performer, this article analyses his impressive campaign and why West Ham must do everything they can to keep him away from Chelsea.

Declan Rice knows a thing or two about hype. After all, it has surrounded him at such an early age on his journey to becoming an established Premier League midfielder.

He was snapped up by Chelsea at the age of seven years old, such was the level of his talent even then. Fast-forward eight years later and Rice was released by Chelsea, before having trials with Fulham & West Ham.

After mulling it over, Rice was the next high-profile youngster to join the ranks at 'the academy of football'. Despite the long list of West Ham academy graduates: Mark Noble, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick & Frank Lampard to name a few, Rice kept his head down. It's as if that day set the standard for the rest of his career, such has been his desire to stand out from others.

You know how it goes from there. Rice excelled and eventually made his Hammers debut against Burnley in the last day of the 2016-17 season. Since then, he's never looked back. Hammer of the Year runner-up to Marko Arnautovic and the first teenager to reach 50 appearances for the club since Michael Carrick - it was fair to say Rice was quickly becoming a firm fans favourite.

Second time lucky and Rice was deservedly merited the Hammer of the Year accolade for the 2019/20 season. This season was a disastrous and passive write-off, to say the least, but the continual progression of Declan Rice as a West Ham player raises the spirits that little bit more. So, let's take a look at his 2019/20 season by numbers:

West Ham ranked:

 

88 tackles won [1st]

234 successful pressures [1st]

378 defensive third pressures [1st]

377 midfield third pressures [1st]

76 interceptions [1st]

2010 touches [1st]

1316 ball carries [1st]

 

Analysis:

 

Many harboured reservations, but Rice's performances this season quickly won them over. This analysis will highlight the defensive midfielder's importance to West Ham and highlight why many clubs are jostling for his signature this summer:

Rice's 2019/20 season heat-map highlights his willingness to get forward and join the attack. Despite being a centre-back by trade, Rice's transition to defensive midfield has been a smooth one. Per statistics, Rice has made 47 progressive runs this season compared to 30 in the 2018/19 season. Not only that, but his ability to cover ground and add stability in front of Ogbonna & Diop was vital. It just goes to say: where would West Ham be without Declan Rice?

Rice's 2019/20 heat-map

The January addition of Tomáš Souček undoubtedly firmed up West Ham's defensive ineptitude. It goes without saying that we've lacked a physically imposing holding midfielder since Kouyaté left. This allows Rice to venture forward and express his capabilities going forward. Moyes has his new archetypal Fellaini and Rice doesn't have to shoulder all the defensive work, everyone's a winner. Without deviating any longer, let's breakdown Rice's strengths:

Passing

Before Rice's rise, West Ham subsequently lacked a consistent ball-playing midfielder. Slaven Bilic identified this a priority by targeting Leander Dendoncker and William Carvalho. Rice's directness and decision making on the ball have improved drastically this season. His composure to receive the ball and attempt a long ball or pass in-between the defensive and midfield lines highlight his confidence and ability to create goalscoring opportunities. A passing accuracy of 89.6% shows his quality on the ball As you can see in this sequence:

Rice switches the ball to Yarmolenko.

 

Rice switches play to Anderson, who goes on to score.

As you can see from the last image, Rice has unlocked passing ability. His variations allow him to get the best out of luxury players like Anderson - who can use his pace here to get in-behind Simon Francis.

 

Off the ball movement

Rice has undeniable ability to release players like Antonio and create chances out of nothing. Many players in his position would attempt to pass sideways and opt for the simple option. Declan doesn't seem primed for that though, he likes to retrieve the ball and provide some attacking impetus. This is intertwined with his off the ball movements, a component that gets him into these advanced positions where he can provide an end product. Per statistics, Rice has attempted 620 forward passes this season - 59 more than in his previous campaign. As shown for his goal against Watford:

Rice drops in between the midfield and defensive line.

 

Rice takes advantage of two Watford players pressing Noble & drops back into the space before scoring.

 

Composure

 

The 21-year-old stepped up to the mark this season and took responsibility in difficult games. His composure on the ball is arguably his best attribute, something he showcased immediately on his first-team debut. The encouraging takeaway from this is that he will only get better. A few examples of his composure come to mind, but Rice's ability to pick the ball up and drive the team forward is often overlooked.

 

 

 

 

Despite pressure from Kane, Rice feints before dragging the ball back and losing his man

Probably the best example from this season was his marauding run against Sheffield United. West Ham lacked creativity and a spark throughout against a resilient Chris Wilder side. Up steps Rice, who uses his directness and ball-carrying ability to drive forward and set-up Snodgrass. Let's not talk about VAR though.

 

 

 

 

Rice wins his attacking duel, but appears to be boxed off by four Sheffield United players.

 

 

 

Rice shifts the ball onto his right before finding the run of Snodgrass.

 

Tackling

 

Above all else, Rice's tackling makes him one of the most productive defensive midfielders in the Premier League. The game-reading ability he possesses is arguably the best I've seen in a West Ham shirt. Similarly to Michael Carrick, breaking up the play and doing the unnoticed work that is so underappreciated. Rice has also won the most tackles in the Premier League this season (89) and ranks fourth for tackles attempted (116).

 

 

 

Rice covers Zabaleta and tackles Zaha, with the latter known for his supreme dribbling ability.

 

 

Rice stops the direct threat of Pulisic.

Rice has excelled in another breakout year for the 21-year-old. His game intelligence, maturity and developments have been there to see. The difference-maker, the heartbeat of West Ham, the star - Rice has it all.

Without a doubt, Rice is already capable of swimming with the big fish. The club are determined to keep hold of their most valuable player and rightly so. The fact that he wasn't even considered in the shortlist for young Premier League player of the Year has left Hammers fans perplexed - a consistent performer who always gives you a 7/10 every week and was one of seven players to play every minute of the season? What more does he need to do?

The club's biggest signing this summer would be to keep hold of Dec. If Moyes wants to replicate the RB Leipzig model and structure his team around young players - Rice should be at the focal point. Give him the captain's armband next season and other assurances. It's clear to see that he loves everything about West Ham, but none of us would blame him if he moved onto newer and more successful pastures. At the end of the day, it's inevitable, but if Harry Maguire is worth £80 million great British pounds - this boy is worth double.

Rice, Rice, baby.

 

 

[Vesper 30,079]

1 hour ago, R2D2 said:

Might be better if we wait until next season, who knows if Lampard will even be here, if he goes were stuck with this guy.

Rice is so not dependent on Lampard to be a great player

this is not some Sarri/Jorginho situ

[MoroccanBlue 5,375]

@Vesper What's the TL;DR version 

[Vesper 30,079]

17 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

@Vesper What's the TL;DR version 

buy him

we need a proper DMF

and if we want him ultimately at CB

then buy Zakaria next summer and slide Rice to CB on a staggered glidepath as Zakaria is integrated

then buy a double pivot roamer partner for Zakaria to take Kante's slot, if Kante still has not went back to form

the other way to do it is to grab Partey now  (Zakaria is too hard a pull atm, but rumours and rumblings say Gladbach will allow him to leave for a fair price next summer)

wait till next season for Rice, who at that point, would be 75% a CB buy, although Thomas and Declan could easily play a double pivot as well

whether we do buy Partey or not (and for me it is this summer or I start to hesitate, as Partey is 28 at the end of this coming spring, so only 3 or maybe 4 prime years left if we buy him in summer 2021)

we still need to buy a roamer type too, to pair with Rice or Zakaria or Partey

that list is simple

Camavinga, or if he is impossible, then Boubacar Kamara or Bruno Guimarães or Ismaël Bennacer or finally the last of these 5 for me in terms of my preference, Boubakary Soumaré

 

[Jase 43,479]

57 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

If we are going to move Jorginho on for Rice that is probably as close to undoing some of the good work of this window in terms of squad building we will get.

Personally I know many wont be thrilled to watch Rice passing it sideways 90% of the time and small teams just letting us have the ball because he isnt progressive enough to play through the lines. Also under pressure he isnt great so imagine him v a City or a Liverpool? Unlike Jorginho. Unlike Kovacic. Even unlike Kante. So if Frank goes to this heralded 433 like City played last season, which many believe with Rice holding, Havertz and Mount more offensive, does that mean those two will have to come a lot lot deeper to get the ball out of our own half into the more forward players? Unlike at City where De Bruyne and Silva where always positioned in half spaces because Rodri and Fernandinho could find them further up and find other players also?

You talked as if Jorginho doesn't pass sideways or backwards...

[OneMoSalah 8,883]

8 minutes ago, Jason said:

You talked as if Jorginho doesn't pass sideways or backwards...

Obviously. All midfielders do at some point but the high percentages of Jorginho’s passes are forward and he normally plays one or two touches when he can. Plus when he plays our ability to get up the pitch quicker is clear to see. Rice’s passing isnt as progressive and quite frankly dont see how he improves our team in all reality. All he does is add height but still, take more than 11 6 ft plus players to sort our defending set pieces. 

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, OneMoSalah said:

Obviously. All midfielders do at some point but the high percentages of Jorginho’s passes are forward and he normally plays one or two touches.

Any stat to back that up? Because Opta have this on Jorginho in the Premier League last season...