Declan Rice continuing the lost art of the old school CDM for West Ham

The world of European football has quickly turned into a fast-paced, heavy attacking style of football. Even West Ham United has made moves towards that style of flash and pizzazz however, they still keep on to some old lost arts.

We could really start and end the conversation with two words, Mark Noble. Mr. West Ham himself has been a staple at center defensive midfielder for years in East London and even he from time to time gets up the pitch and puts on a show. This story, however, isn’t about this team legend, it’s about another that is soon to be put in that same status.

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Declan Rice is vastly becoming a club favorite and with every match, he is becoming a legend in East London. The best part, his style of play has nothing to do with pace or attacking skills, it deals with his ability to defend and control the backline of the midfield.

This style of play might be boring to most, but at West Ham, this position has been key in the past to success and staying in the top flight. Besides Rice, you can only find Kante and Fernandinho that play as out-and-out CDM’s really well. In this era, this is what makes Rice so special. Due to his age and his style of play, he is going to be a rarity for years to come.

The best part is that it’s not just played at West Ham. He’s been so good at it, that even England’s Gaffer, Gareth Southgate, has begun starting the Hammer there and folks, the stats don’t lie. In 4 EPL matches, Rice has completed over 84% of his passes with 16 successful long passes, 14 tackles, 9 interceptions, and 4 key dribbles. Both ends of his game are on point at the moment.

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 07: Mason Mount of England and Declan Rice of England shows their appreciation to the fans after the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier match between England and Bulgaria at Wembley Stadium on September 07, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /

It is hard to imagine that at only being 20 years old, he has 4 caps for England, what were you doing at 20? That’s a question not worth answering for me. At only 20 fans and pundits alike have been waiting for him to crack up or mess up somehow, yet somehow he keeps it up. He has been getting a lot of hate on twitter and in the news for his “lackluster” play for England but to be honest he, once again, was playing the CDM role to perfection.

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An often under-appreciated role, just go back to the beginning and Mark Noble, but an important role none the less. Without his help being the buffer between attacking and defending, I don’t see West Ham having this much instant success as they have obtained. Just keep being you Declan, we love ya!