09 Sep 2026 17:05:25
Gooner here in peace. ?
It was really interesting reading all your comments about our Declan and the comparison with Souness and Gerrard.
Obviously we love him to bits, not just as a player but as a person. He's top on both in my books. His physicality is so well suited to the Premier League and his corners also totally own the modern game. It would be interesting to see how Souness would deal with football today. Gerrard, I think, would slot right in, even though a lot has changed since he was your starman.
Anyway all the best for the season and I really like your new manager. ?
09 Sep 2026 17:48:21
If levels are to be, Souness is at least 3 levels above Rice if not more, and against the players today, Souness would dominate.
People just see the tackles that he did and all the dirty stuff, but that was part of the game. You had to win the battle before you could play, then once that was done you played and Souness could do it all. Looked after himself and the team, but boy could he play. It would be a walk in the park for him nowadays. Put Rice back then, he would be bang average at best.
Don’t think Souness ever hid like Rice did in them two cup finals last season.
09 Sep 2026 17:55:40
And yes I would have Rice in our midfield but that's more a statement about our midfield than anything about Rice.
09 Sep 2026 18:07:14
Everything Souness says about Rice I agree with 100%.
09 Sep 2026 18:42:18
I really like a lot of things about Rice and think he's a top defensive midfielder. He has an amazing engine and, imo, when he's on his game, he would be an asset to any team's defensive/off the ball efforts in general and offensive efforts in terms of set pieces.
I'm not sure he will ever be the "X factor" that unlocks strong defences through his technique and vision, but I don't think he has ever been viewed as such.
I have not read whatever Souness has said about him and I'm probably not going to go out of my way to do so.
09 Sep 2026 18:42:44
Comparing any players from different generations is simply immeasurable and nonsensical, surely? It's banter of course but that's all and it ends there. ✌
09 Sep 2026 19:08:20
Love Rice. Would have been Liverpool's captain if we'd been interested in him.
However, he isn't a patch on Gerrard.
09 Sep 2026 19:37:25
Rice reminds me of Henderson.
09 Sep 2026 19:55:35
Souness = Captain of one of the most successful clubs in world football and frightened the life out of everyone - widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in history, dominated his position throughout his career, opposition feared him and knew that to beat Liverpool you had to beat Souness - won everything there is to win, multiple times. A LEGEND OF THE GAME.
The other player in this debate is called Declan Rice - can’t say any of the above can be said of him, decent player, good pro - but different levels - not sure any player has ever walked on a pitch thinking we need to deal with or worry about Declan.
09 Sep 2026 20:00:38
Souness is definitely a level or 2 ahead of Rice. However, there is one problem: Souness would spend more time suspended than on the field with some of his x-rated tackling. The game has changed so much since his day.
09 Sep 2026 20:05:42
Souness was good enough to adapt his game to modern standards.
He was aggressive because the game was more aggressive in those days. If he was a player these days he wouldn't play the same way. Still doesn't diminish his talent.
09 Sep 2026 21:18:08
Well said, Ron. Souness played in a time when every team had a player like Souness, but not sure there were many that could do the tough side of the game and then play football like Souness.
Liverpool in that time was the best team in Europe, and teams would go out to stop them in any way possible, so he played like that to protect the team.
But if he played now he would not have to do that bit, so he would not be suspended all the time at all.
So I don’t get the stick he is getting from fans of our club for speaking the truth about one of the most overrated players I’ve seen in all my life, and I am 51, so not young.
I mean, people were talking about him winning the Ballon d'Or. I mean, if he is the best player in the world, football has a problem.
10 Sep 2026 07:27:02
A very different game these days than in the Souness era - Souness was a fantastic midfielder, as was Gerrard, and they both would be great if they played today, but I gotta admit, I do think Rice is a cracking midfielder, maybe not at that level, but still a cracking player.
I thought it was a great move by Arsenal to go for him, keeps his head down, out of the media and works his socks off for the team - very good defensively and reads the game well, picks when he should / can go forward and when to hold, a very good player.
10 Sep 2026 09:38:06
Agreed, Grino. Rice (who I like and think he will defo help our midfield) is not in the same league nor solar system as Souness or even Gerrard were. That's just what it is; hence why these empty comparisons bore me.
I think this comparison has been fuelled just to get more validation for Rice than anything else from many in the Arsenal fan base by what is called "Proximity to Greatness".
It's the same crap many Chelsea fans often do whenever LFC has a great player playing for them. They always like the whole Lampard v Gerrard, Hazard v Salah, Williams vs Trent etc.
Personally, if I have the better guy, then why would I start a comparison to begin with? They don't have the better guy; hence they start such wild comparisons.
Proximity to greatness doesn't suddenly make you great and will never make Rice anywhere near the level of both these giants. Not even close, imo.