Declan Rice 'showed true colours' as Arsenal icon disagrees with Paul Scholes comment
Declan Rice is facing criticism from some quarters following the North London Derby after being at fault for the Tottenham Hotspur equaliser that Arsenal conceded
Ray Parlour has leapt to Declan Rice's defence after Paul Scholes criticised the Arsenal midfielder for being overly emotional during the North London derby. Scholes lambasted Rice following his error that gifted Tottenham Hotspur their solitary goal of the encounter.
Mere seconds after Eberechi Eze's opener, Rice surrendered possession after intercepting a Djed Spence pass to hand Randal Kolo Muani an equaliser. The former Manchester United player called out Rice's reaction, underlining the need to stay composed when challenging for the Premier League crown.
He said: "When I look at Declan Rice, he almost looks too emotional. He’s lively, he’s, 'Come on! Come on! Come on!’ and then he makes his mistake. When you’re going for a league title, when you’ve got tough games, there has to be a calmness about you. I think potentially [he’s a captain]. It’s just when I look at him now, he’s so emotional."
Scholes also questioned Rice's decision to demand concentration from his colleagues following the opening goal. Parlour, though, commended the England international for refusing to let the blunder derail his display, insisting that it showed the kind of person he is.
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Speaking with BetMGM via Football London, he said: "On paper, you'd make Arsenal the favourites to win the game. But it doesn't work like that in North London derbies; everybody has got to play well; everybody has got to be at their standards.
"I thought they played well and got the first goal, which is always very important, but then they conceded thirty seconds later. Declan – he's not made many mistakes, but it was a bad mistake he made there.
"But it shows what sort of player he is, though. It didn't affect his game, and he went on to be good again, as usual."
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Parlour added: "We talk about consistency. You've got to do that week in, week out. That's why Gabriel and Saliba have been so good, Rice as well."
His view mirrored the feelings Mikel Arteta expressed following the fixture. The Arsenal boss reflected: "I said at half-time: 'We carry on playing, with the attitude like Declan has done today."
"When he made an error, the way he played after, that's attitude, personality and courage to stand up in a difficult moment – attitude, how you approach things.
"You can feel sorry for yourself. You can look at: 'Oh, look at this stage.' But when you're kids, you dream to play these kinds of games, you recognise the opportunity that we are lucky to be where they are."