Mikel Arteta makes feelings clear on Declan Rice 'ignoring' Arsenal set-piece coach
Declan Rice scored a pair of stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid after ignoring instructions to cross the ball and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has praised his decision
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has hailed Declan Rice after he ignored the instructions of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover to score two brilliant free-kicks in the Gunners' 3-0 win over Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Rice revealed after the game that Jover had told him to cross the ball rather than shoot for his first free-kick. "He's claiming for it but he's told me to cross it," Rice told Amazon Prime when asked about Jover.
And Arteta has encouraged his players to follow Rice's example and seize the initiative more. When asked about Rice's comments, Arteta told reporters: "They have to make the decision.
"I love it, especially when it goes in the back of the net, instead of losing it on the counter attack! We are here to help them, to paint the picture of what the options are, but I loved it.
"When we talk about taking the next step, it is a lot about that. Taking the initiative, making things happen on the pitch and believing you can actually win the game by yourself sometimes.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta details Arsenal boost and targets Real Madrid repeat against BrentfordREAD MORE: Mikel Arteta offers Kai Havertz injury update after confirming Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka situation"I was really impressed with the way he (Rice) did it. You have to do something that is not in the books, we always talk about it. It is like the energy we create in the stadium. That's a magic moment.
"It felt like the crowd was taking that ball and putting it into the net. It was something special, that night from the beginning, and when you are able to create those moments, you are more likely to experience the situation we had.
"The first one he [Jover] says: 'You see I told him to bend the ball' [imitating Jover asking the ball to be whipped], because the crowd and the people can't really understand. I had my nephew telling me: 'I saw Nico telling him…' I said: 'You don't wanna know the truth…'
"It's related to confidence as well and feeling and owning that moment, which is really important. So there's no coincidence that all the top teams, you look at their games in the Champions League, the amount of individual moments that won the football matches, I mean, in the Champions League at this level, that's a necessity.
"Without that, I don't think you have a chance to progress and be in the finals and winning trophies like we want."
And when asked is he has been surprised by the way Rice's game has developed since he joined from West Ham in 2023, Arteta replied: "I think we brought a player that was already made, it was obvious we paid the money that we paid for that reason.
"But that doesn't mean that we're going to put a ceiling on him because we believe that there was a lot of parts to his game to develop, and lot of understanding about the game as well. Then it's about him really believing and taking initiative to do it because he can do it.
"He needs to score more headers, he needs to score more goals, more tap-ins, he needs to score more goals outside the box, and he's able to do that. So he needs to be adding those qualities because he's got them in the locker."
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