Player Report: Declan Rice (21) v Aston Villa

Age: 21
Date of Birth: 14th January, 1999
Nationality: English
Contract until: 30th June, 2024

Position: Defensive/Central Midfielder
2020/21 Minutes played: 900 minutes

At 21-years-old Declan Rice has established himself as a key player in a strong counter-attacking West Ham side under David Moyes, partnering Tomas Soucek as a midfield duo in a 3–4–3 or 5–4–1 system.

At 6’ 1” Rice’s defensive aerial ability was key throughout, easing the pressure on the Hammers defenders to step out. This combined with a strong frame makes for a powerful defensive midfielder off the ball. The Englishman reads the game like an experienced professional, stepping in to cover the wing-backs or following/understanding the runs opposition players were making.

Villa were forced wide on most occasions, unable to find a way through West Ham centrally, which highlights Rice’s positional sense in the middle, cutting passing lanes into Ollie Watkins and Conor Hourihane.

In possession I often saw Rice moving wide behind the wing-backs and wide forwards to give them an outlet if a forward option wasn’t on. Rice would receive the ball and usually look to play it across or back, very rarely would he risk playing it forward. I think on some occasions he could have progressed the ball up the pitch, but with Villa’s in-form forward line, playing safe wasn’t a bad choice but maybe something to keep an eye on — Does he have the ability to progress the ball forward in a top team?

There were a few times when the 20-year-old pressed high and won the ball, most notably in stoppage time which shows his magnificent athleticism and work rate, however I’d have liked to see more pressure on Villa’s midfielders. Although this athleticism is not seen on the ball as Rice tends to opt for a short risk-free pass rather than drive forward with the ball. This wasn’t a problem for West Ham as their wide players often carried the ball forward, but this limited his overall game influence.

Overall apart from a few loose balls in the Villa half Rice was solid throughout and helped a resolute West Ham defence reduce the visitors chances, despite giving away a penalty for a slight tug on a shirt — which was saved. His defensive positional sense and leadership skills were two of his biggest strengths, but I’d have liked to see a larger skill set when in possession.