Gary Neville has expressed his shock at Mikel Arteta’s decision to move Declan Rice to right back after Ben White was forced off injured during Arsenal’s Premier League clash at West Ham. White went down following a collision with Crysencio Summerville and was replaced, with Arteta opting to bring on Martin Zubimendi rather than versatile defenders Cristhian Mosquera or Pierro Hincapie. Rice, who has previously filled in at right back for Arsenal, was shifted to the position while Myles Lewis-Skelly remained in midfield.
Neville, speaking on Sky Sports, questioned the logic of moving Rice out of central midfield. “I'm stunned,” he said. “Taking him out of the middle of the pitch is a big call.” The change appeared to disrupt Arsenal’s momentum, as West Ham grew into the game after a dominant start from the visitors. Arsenal had 10 shots in the opening 22 minutes, but West Ham finished the half stronger.
Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright agreed that Arsenal lost their “momentum” after White’s injury, while Jamie Redknapp described the move as “one of the strangest decisions I've seen this season.” The experiment lasted around 20 minutes before Arteta reshuffled again, bringing on Mosquera for Riccardo Calafiori, moving Lewis-Skelly to left back, shifting Mosquera to right back, and restoring Rice to midfield alongside Zubimendi.
Neville later called the initial move “a correction of a mistake” but praised Arteta for rectifying it. Zubimendi was subsequently taken off for Martin Odegaard as Arsenal pursued an opening goal, which eventually came through Leandro Trossard. The result leaves Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes intact, but White’s injury remains a concern ahead of the Champions League final and the World Cup.
