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PUNDIT DECLARES DECLAN RICE CURRENTLY THE PREMIER LEAGUE'S BEST PLAYER

Pundit Stephen Warnock hails Declan Rice as the Premier League's best player after Arsenal's 2-0 win. His calf injury ahead of the Villa game causes concern.

Pundit Declares Declan Rice Currently The Premier League's Best Player
How Arteta Unlocked The Premier League's Best Player

After Arsenal's solid win against Brentford, people are saying Mikel Arteta has the best player in the Premier League.

Arsenal is on top of the league again, five points ahead, after beating Brentford 2-0 on Wednesday night.

Mikel Merino scored early, and Bukayo Saka sealed the deal late in the game, marking Arsenal's tenth league win this season.

Even though Manchester City put pressure on Arsenal with a crazy 5-4 victory over Fulham the night before, Arsenal responded with a pretty easy win at their home stadium.

Stephen Warnock is impressed with many Arsenal players this season, but he thinks Declan Rice is the best player in the Premier League right now.

Rice is having an amazing season in north London, but Arsenal fans were worried when he had to leave the game against Brentford with a calf issue.

Arteta said after the game that Rice would be checked out on Thursday, which means he might not be able to play against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Arteta is hoping Rice's injury isn't too bad because Arsenal wants to keep winning and take home their first Premier League title since 2004.

Warnock told WhichBookie, I could pick many Arsenal players as the best this season, but Declan Rice has been great.

Right now, he's the league's best player. He's been amazing this season, and he seems to like playing higher up the field.

He was a bit annoyed playing deeper last season, but now he has more freedom.

Arteta thought Arsenal controlled the game against Brentford, who are a tough team that was in the top half of the league before the match.

He said, I'm very happy with how we played, the win, and keeping a clean sheet. We played a very difficult team.

Brentford doesn't need much—just a throw-in or a set piece. They're great at creating chances from those. Being up 1-0 is never enough against them.

You know they're going to test you at some point. They had some dangerous throw-ins, and we had to make one great save from a corner.

Besides that, I thought we controlled the game and had the best chances, but the game isn't over until you score to make it 2-0.

Arsenal, who are leading the Premier League and expected to win the title, are five points ahead of Manchester City, who barely beat Fulham in their last game.

Aston Villa also had a thrilling game on Wednesday, beating Brighton 4-3 and moving up to third place.

Chelsea used to be in that spot, but they dropped to third after losing to Leeds United.

Crystal Palace is currently fifth, but Manchester United, who they played last, will have the same number of points as fourth-place Chelsea if they beat West Ham on Thursday.

STATEMENT WIN: NONI MADUEKE SILENCES CRITICS WITH DOUBLE AS ARSENAL MAKES HISTORY

Noni Madueke, facing summer criticism, scored a brilliant double as Arsenal secured a historic sixth straight UCL win. Martinelli also set a major club record.

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Madueke Shines in Perfect UCL Run

Arsenal and Gabriel Martinelli had a night to remember, but Noni Madueke might have been the happiest. After facing some online backlash for moving from Chelsea to Arsenal in the summer, Madueke, making a rare start on the right while Bukayo Saka rested, scored a super goal and then another in the second half, helping Arsenal win comfortably.

Arsenal is now only the fifth English squad to win their first six Champions League or European Cup games. They are close to making it to the last 16; they just need one more point.

Martinelli also had a great moment. His amazing curling shot means he's the first Arsenal player to score in five straight Champions League matches. Plus, Gabriel Jesus played for the first time in almost a year after recovering from a knee injury, so it was mostly the kind of result manager Mikel Arteta wanted after their loss to Aston Villa.

Without Declan Rice, who was sick, Arteta said he would change the starting lineup after the Villa loss. But there was further news before the game: Jurriën Timber was still hurt from the Villa match. This meant Christian Nørgaard and Piero Hincapié were the seventh different centre-back pairing for Arsenal this season. Riccardo Calafiori was only well enough to be on the bench, joining 16-year-old Marli Salmon, showing how thin Arsenal's squad is right now.

Considering the injuries, it wasn't the best time to play Club Brugge, who wanted to do well for their new coach, Ivan Leko, after Nicky Hayen was let go on Monday. Three losses in the last four games were the end for Hayen, who won the Belgian title last season. Leko, who also won the title in his first time as coach in 2018, now has the job of turning things around.

Even though Brugge played well in a 3-3 game against Barcelona last month, their defence has been shaky, and Arsenal showed they meant business early. Martin Ødegaard forced Dani van den Heuvel to make a save after just six minutes. Carlos Forbs, who used to play for Wolves, was a problem for Myles Lewis-Skelly, but Lewis-Skelly managed to get forward and saw his shot go off Hincapié and hit the post. Then, Madueke got the ball in Brugge's half and made a great move past his defender. He got past two more defenders and then fired an unstoppable shot that went in off the crossbar.

That goal could have won any game, but Brugge was still dangerous, especially with Forbs. Raya saved a shot from Forbs, and Aleksandar Stankovic almost scored from far away. Brugge was getting more confident. Christos Tzolis found some space in the box just before halftime, but Raya saw what he was planning. Then, Raya made another save to stop Stankovic.

Van den Heuvel had stopped Madueke from scoring again at the end of the first half, but Madueke got his second goal soon after halftime. Martín Zubimendi sent in a great cross from the left, and Madueke was there to knock it in. Not long after, Martinelli made his own history, cutting in from the left and scoring an amazing curling shot to make it 3-0.

Jesus almost scored in his return, but his shot hit the crossbar. Salmon, who played well with Max Dowman for Arsenal's Under-18s last season, also played his first Champions League game for the final few minutes and looked good as Arsenal moved closer to winning a trophy.

NEW FRONT THREE: MADUEKE, GYOKERES SET TO SHINE IN UCL ROTATION GAME.

After their unbeaten run ended, Arsenal will rotate heavily for the Club Brugge UCL clash. Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri are tipped to start as key players rest.

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Arteta Plans Major Arsenal Rotation After Villa Defeat.

Arsenal heads to Club Brugge for Wednesday's Champions League game after their 18-game unbeaten run ended with a tough 2-1 loss to Aston Villa last weekend.

Now, the team's focus is on the Champions League, where they're set to play Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadium.

With the busy schedule lately, manager Mikel Arteta will likely make at least six changes to the starting lineup.

Players like Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, and Bukayo Saka could get a rest on the bench.

Arsenal currently leads its Champions League group with 15 points, three ahead of the other teams.

This game is a good chance for Arteta to switch things up and keep important players fresh for what’s ahead.

Here are changes Mikel Arteta might make:

Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back

Riccardo Calafiori is out for Saturday’s game against Wolverhampton Wanderers due to his fifth yellow card.

Myles Lewis-Skelly is likely to step in for Calafiori at left-back this weekend. We think he’ll also start against Club Brugge, as he’s been in the starting lineup for three of the last four European matches.

Reports say Calafiori was seen leaving Villa Park with a limp. Because of this, he might only come on as a substitute against Club Brugge if needed.

Christian Norgaard and & Ethan Nwaneri in midfield

Declan Rice was a defensive machine against Villa, making 21 important plays. He looked tired after the defeat and needed a break.

He’s been a regular for Arsenal in every competition and for England too. This seems like the right time to give him a game off.

Likewise, Martin Zubimendi and Martin Odegaard could also use some rest. Odegaard just came back from his third injury this season, so he might start on the bench.

Christian Norgaard could take Zubimendi's spot in the number six role. Mikel Merino might move to central midfield, with Ethan Nwaneri playing as the attacking midfielder.

New-look front three

The front three could look different against the Belgian side. Saka might start on the bench, giving Noni Madueke a chance on the right wing.

The former Chelsea player scored his first Arsenal goal in the 3-1 win over Bayern Munich.

Viktor Gyokeres is in line to start for the first time in over a month after three substitute appearances. He’s eager to impress, especially since Merino has been the preferred choice upfront recently.

Eberechi Eze had a tough game on Saturday, and his poor defending played a part in Villa’s first goal. He was taken off at halftime along with Merino.

Eze could also start on the bench on Wednesday as part of the rotation. Gabriel Martinelli could get the nod on the left wing over Leandro Trossard, who doesn’t seem to be fully fit.

Despite being a substitute, Trossard was taken off in the 86th minute because of a calf issue.

It’s unlikely the 31-year-old will be risked from the start against Club Brugge. Martinelli has been impressive in the Champions League this season, scoring in each of his four games.

Elsewhere, David Raya, Ben White, Jurrien Timber, and Piero Hincapie are likely to keep their places in the lineup.

Gabriel Magalhaes, Cristhian Mosquera, and Kai Havertz are out with injuries until next year. It’s also uncertain if William Saliba will be ready to return on Wednesday night.

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