Declan

Arsenal, who host Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday (20:00 BST), have changed their style this season to be more direct and play through defensive lines quicker, which has meant Rice moving deeper alongside Zubimendi when starting attacks.

A recruitment specialist working in top level football told BBC Sport how the signing of Zubimendi has complemented Rice’s game.

He said: “It hasn’t changed what he can do as he has done it before, but it [Zubimendi’s arrival] has given him more ability to be an all-rounder.

“He already had the ability to contribute in the holding game but now he is able to excel in attacking phases.

“His ability to take the ball on the half-turn allows his first touch to be always forward when he receives it.

“The attacking role hasn’t phased him. He has grasped it really well and you can tell it’s something he’s always had.”

Rice already has three assists and one goal in his 11 games for Arsenal this season.

For his goal against West Ham, Rice arrived late into the box to meet a bouncing ball and finish well to score Arsenal’s opener in their 2-0 win.

And the recruitment specialist believes Rice, though known for his running ability, does not get the plaudits he deserves.

“A lot of people don’t really give him the credit he is due for his athleticism,” he said. “He is extremely athletic and a good mover.

“He has the freedom to create in the attacking area of the pitch, he is excellent in holding, he is such a fluent player and performs with the freedom he has been given.

“A good player, good passing, but can also be gritty and break up play. He is a commanding midfield player.

“I like the fact that he can dictate the tempo of the game. Really good precision in his actions. He has transitioned seamlessly to a box-to-box player.”

Match of the Day 2 pundit Martin Keown compares Declan Rice to David Beckham after the England international scores with a curling strike from outside the box in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Newcastle at the Emirates.

The win confirms a second-place finish in the Premier League and Champions League football next season for the Gunners.

MATCH REPORT: Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle

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Declan Rice captured the mood and flagged up the danger signals in his final message as Arsenal gathered in a huddle before they faced the formidable challenge of Paris St-Germain.

“If we don’t have the ball, we die,” Rice told his Arsenal team-mates as they finished their warm-up before the Champions League semi-final first leg at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal are not quite dead in the tie, but they are definitely struggling to stay alive as they trail 1-0 going into the return in Paris – mainly because they were unable to carry out Rice’s instructions in the crucial opening phases that shaped the game.

The stage was set for Arsenal’s first Champions League semi-final in 16 years by an extravagant display of fireworks and pyrotechnics, all against the backdrop of a huge banner covering the giant stands emblazoned with the words ‘make it happen’.

It was PSG who made it happen – and made it happen exactly in the manner Rice so clearly feared.

Ousmane Dembele’s fourth-minute finish across Arsenal keeper David Raya from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s delivery was the culmination of a 26-pass move. It was PSG in a microcosm, Rice’s warning delivered in the most painful manner.

To emphasise PSG’s domination in the first exchanges, they had a total of 71.6% possession in the first 26 minutes, the period of the game in which they threw a bucket of ice cold water over what had been a white-hot environment, laying the platform for the advantage they will take back to Paris for next Wednesday’s second leg.

In that same period, PSG had a remarkable passing accuracy of 86.5% in Arsenal’s half, and the total ratio was 165 passes to 60.

In effect, when Arsenal finally read Rice’s memo, the most important damage had been inflicted.

Arsenal pulled it around, having 55.4% possession for the rest of the game, but Rice knew what was coming and PSG were simply too good to stop early on.