Arsenal may have secured a dominant 4-1 victory over Tottenham on Sunday, but Manchester United legend Paul Scholes was far from impressed with Declan Rice’s temperament during the North London derby.
Despite the convincing scoreline, Scholes believes Rice’s lack of “calmness” in high-pressure situations could hurt Arsenal’s Premier League title ambitions.
Paul Scholes questions Declan Rice leadership during Arsenal vs Tottenham
Speaking on the Good, the Bad and the Football podcast alongside Nicky Butt, Scholes took aim at Rice’s behavior just moments before a critical error allowed Tottenham back into the contest.
The incident occurred shortly after Eberechi Eze had given Arsenal the lead.
Rice was captured on camera vigorously gesturing to his teammates to maintain their focus.
However, less than two minutes later, Rice was caught in possession by Randal Kolo Muani, whose clinical finish leveled the game at 1-1.
Scholes was unimpressed by the midfielder’s animated approach. He said:
“I don’t like all that [Rice geeing up the crowd]. When I look at Declan Rice, he almost looks too emotional. He’s lively, he’s, ‘Come on! Come on! Come on!’ and then he makes his mistake.
When you’re going for a league title, when you’ve got tough games, there has to be a calmness about you.”
Scholes compared Rice’s leadership style to that of his former captain, Roy Keane, noting that the legendary Irishman led with a sense of “calmness” rather than frantic animation.
“People will call me a miserable b******, but game-management in game situations needs a calmness,” he added.
Declan Rice’s importance to Arsenal remains undeniable
The mistake was rare for Rice, a moment reminiscent of a “Steven Gerrard slip”, but it did not prove costly in the end.
Arsenal scored three in the second half to make a statement win and the celebration showed how much the result meant to them.
Since his £105 million move from West Ham in 2023, Rice has been instrumental under Mikel Arteta.
He transformed Arsenal’s midfield almost immediately, winning the club’s Player of the Season award last year and registering eight goal contributions this campaign.
Arsenal maintained their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table following the win over Tottenham, keeping their title challenge firmly on track.
Arteta was quick to defend his midfielder after the match, praising Rice’s “courage to stand up” following the error and emphasising his influence across the season.
However, with Manchester City still looming in the title race, it will be important for Rice and others to remain calm amid the mounting pressure.