Alan Smith: No One at Arsenal Can Replace Rice; Title Race Will Be Between Arsenal and Man City

In an interview, Alan Smith talked about Declan Rice’s importance, stating that Rice is irreplaceable.

When asked how Arsenal would cope with injury problems in the title race, Alan Smith said: “We’ve already seen Arsenal lose some key players, haven’t we? Martin Odegaard is probably the most important one, but Eberechi Eze has stepped into his shoes and the team’s performance hasn’t dropped.”

“If Rice gets injured, it will be a huge loss because the team will lose its driving force in midfield, and his dead-ball ability is also crucial—no one at the club can truly replace him. The team has performed well defensively; Bernardo Mosquera can step up sometimes at the back, and they also have Inkapiye. So for me, Rice is the biggest loss.”

Talking about the title race, Alan Smith said: "I previously thought if the matches between Manchester City and Liverpool were closely contested, it would be hard to draw a clear conclusion. But City has been so impressive with such a clear advantage, and now you start to wonder if Liverpool has enough strength to compete for the title. Arsenal and Manchester City—it will be a battle between these two teams, and the next developments will be very exciting."