West Ham United No.9 Michail Antonio has said that Declan Rice is most certainly better than Manchester City anchor Rodri.
The 33-year-old vouched for his teammate being superior to the £62.8 million (Independent) man on FilthyFellas.
Considering Rodri is widely considered as the best holding midfielder in the world, Michail Antonio may have stirred a debate online about whether he is even better than Declan Rice.
Michail Antonio says Declan Rice is better than Rodri
Darren Bent even claimed that not only is the Spanish international numero uno on the planet but also went on to say that a player of Thomas Partey’s calibre ‘can’t lace his boots.’
Perhaps the biggest compliment that the Sky Blues lynchpin could receive was from Sergio Busquets, who named him as his ideal replacement at Barcelona.
However, Michail Antonio firmly believes that Declan Rice is a better No.6 than Rodri.
“I agree with you [on Rice being the best defensive-midfielder in the world]. I want you to tell me who is better than Declan Rice.”
“No [Rodri is not better than Rice]. Think about it. What has Rodri got that Declan hasn’t?”
Michail Antonio explained why he believes Declan Rice is better than Rodri, saying, “I can tell you one thing Declan Rice has that Rodri hasn’t. Declan Rice is fourth in the Premier League at dribbling. Rodri can’t drive with the ball. Centre-midfielders are supposed to drive with the ball, what are you talking about? So, he can do everything Rodri can do, plus one.”
“What you are seeing is Rodri playing for Man City and you’re seeing Declan Rice play for West Ham.”
Declan Rice is not as complete as the Manchester City midfielder
As brilliant as Declan Rice is, Michail Antonio is incorrect in going as far as to say that he is even better than Rodri.
Rice’s game still needs a lot of work, especially in possession, as has been the case in an England shirt when playing against a high-press, such as the games against Germany and USA at the Qatar World Cup.
Rodri, on the other hand is the finished article, despite being just two years older to him, both on and off the ball.
Even if Declan Rice possesses better stats out of possession, that is merely due to the fact that he plays for a struggling West Ham side.
When playing for a ball-dominant side in England, his struggles on the ball have been evident, while Rodri’s ability to control games in possession and read danger perfectly enough that allows him to not to cover as much ground is proof of his superior football brain as well.
