Arsenal: Declan Rice hits back at Graeme Souness after ‘cheating’ rant in new response

Former player, manager and pundit Souness has made headlines on more than one occasion in recent months for his controversial comments on England midfield star Rice, saying in the summer on Piers Morgan's Football Uncensored that he might be better suited to playing at centre-back because of his limited passing abilities.Souness then doubled down on that criticism via the same platform in September, reiterating his belief that Rice might be a central defender and “isn’t the complete midfield player” who perhaps would not get into the team at any of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Manchester City.He ramped up the rhetoric by saying that Rice was “cheating” in his midfield role with the way he dropped into defence as he called it “old man’s football”.“My numbers since I joined Arsenal speak for themselves. For a centre-back, I think that’s not bad numbers!” Rice said with a laugh.“I think I’ve had a lot of assists, a lot of goals and to be a top-class centre-back getting those numbers I’m delighted with that!Different points of view: Declan Rice and Graeme Souness are not seeing eye to eyePA/Getty Images“No, but look, if you speak about, like you said, the positioning, the old man’s football. Look at Harry Kane, for instance.“We played him the other week [in the Champions League], he dropped next to the centre-backs 20-30 times in the game to pick up the ball. The game’s different now.“It’s what the game demands, to get away from your man, to get away from who’s marking you, to go into different areas to create overloads, to create two v ones, to progress the ball up the pitch.Read More“Football’s way different. It’s changed a lot, and you’re always trying to look for tactical advantages.“In terms of me as a midfielder, I’m constantly watching clips with Mikel [Arteta, Arsenal manager]. He’s constantly coaching me on the pitch. “How I can progress the ball from deep, how I can drop next to the goalkeeper, how I can go next to full-back to get on the ball, to take the ball up the pitch.“So, I feel like we’re now seeing something totally different to what he would see. But in his time football was different, so I totally understand that and, of course, he played in midfield.“He was a top-class midfielder who won lots of stuff. There’s no argument against him. As a pundit, as a person, as his career, you have to respect what he’s done.Show of support: Declan Rice has defended Arsenal team-mate Ben White after more boos from England fansGetty“I didn’t get to see him play but obviously his accolades were top, and I’ve never got to meet him in person.“If I met him, there wouldn’t be no, like I said, no disrespect. I would speak to him like I would speak to anyone so, yeah, it is what it is.”It also happened in the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan back in March as the versatile defender made his first appearances for his country since leaving Gareth Southgate’s squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.“Ben has moved on from what's happened in the past, he's totally focused on playing for England,” Rice said. “When he's been fit and available he's constantly put himself forward to play for England.“He loves being here, it's not like he doesn't like being here, he loves playing for England, loves being around the lads.“If people knew and understood Ben White as a character he's not fazed by anything, he goes with the flow and he just wants to play football and for England.“Fans are entitled to their opinion, it is what it is but he doesn't feel that way with England. He wants to come out and play his best football and enjoy himself.“I think that's credit to him, coming on and playing for England and being booed is not easy but the way his character is it really helps him.“It's not been a conversation for the team. It's so long ago now, it's nearly five years and it doesn't need to keep getting brought up. We need to look forward to the future and what Ben White is going to do in an England shirt, that's the most important thing.“It's a pointless conversation, Ben has moved on, no one talks about it around the dinner table, no one speaks about it in the pool, we just play football and do what we need to do.”