Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour exclusively told Sports Mole that Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard are comparable to some of the Premier League's finest players.
The Gunners advanced into the semi-finals of the Champions League after beating Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in April, with midfielders Rice and Odegaard excelling.
Rice was singled out for praise across both legs, scoring two stunning free kicks in his team's first encounter against Real on April 8, before helping shut the Spanish giants out for large periods in the sides' second meeting on April 16.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Parlour compared the Englishman to historical great Bryan Robson, saying: "Declan is certainly a box-to-box player. I don't like him when he says he's a holding midfielder because I think he can get forward. He's got the energy to get box-to-box. A little bit like Bryan Robson back in the day.
"He was my idol growing up as a kid, but you couldn't say what position Brian was. He was box-to-box. Simple as that. Tackled, defended when he had to, passed the ball when he had to, scored goals when he had to. That's what I want to see Declan Rice do a little bit more of."
Robson won numerous honours during his career, including two Premier League titles and three FA Cups as a Manchester United player.
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Is Rice comparable to the Invincible midfielders?
Parlour was part of the team that went unbeaten and won the Premier League title in 2003-04, managed by legendary boss Arsene Wenger.
The likes of Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva played alongside Parlour in the middle of the pitch during that season, with the trio all cementing themselves as some of the division's most revered midfielders.
When asked by Sports Mole if Rice is comparable to any of the 'Invincibles', Parlour brought up parallels with Silva when he said: "We had a good player - Gilberto Silva. I called him the invisible wall, not a lot of people got past Gilberto back in the day. Then you go back to Petit, back in the 98 season. Very strong with Patrick in midfield.
"Declan Rice was a great signing. I always knew that, and I was always pressuring Mark Noble, who lives not too far away from me, saying, 'look, where's he going? Is he going to Arsenal?' trying to get something out of him. He said maybe Arsenal couldn't afford him.
"I was so pleased when they did get him over the line and get him into an Arsenal shirt. I had no doubt that he was always going to be a top player at Arsenal, and he's proven to be that."
Should Arsenal win the Champions League, Rice would have helped spearhead the Gunners to their first ever triumph in the competition, and it would undoubtedly place him amongst the Gunners' most legendary midfielders.
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Who is Odegaard comparable to?
Rice's incredible performances for Arsenal this campaign have perhaps overshadowed the impact of Odegaard, who was sorely missed in the early stages of the season after suffering an ankle injury in September while playing for Norway.
The midfielder is less athletically gifted than Rice, but his impact in possession is arguably greater, with the 26-year-old helping progress the ball and sustain pressure in the final third.
Parlour was keen to highlight similarities between Odegaard's role and other legendary Arsenal players of the Premier League era, telling Sports Mole: "Odegaard plays like he's in a Dennis Bergkamp role, if you like, in those little pockets of space. I think Saka coming back into the team has been a massive boost for Martin as well because they seem to have good link-up play together
"[They play in] little triangles and seem to understand each other - you know where the ball's going to end up, where it's going to go, what runs to make, and all that stuff, so that's a big bonus, but we have had strong midfields and always have done."
Odegaard's ability to operate between opposition lines complements Rice's ability to carry the ball past opponents at pace, and Arsenal will be hoping that the duo can lead the club to Champions League glory to end 2024-25 positively.
Ray Parlour was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of Netbet Sports Betting.
Lewis Nolan
