Declan Rice, an Arsenal defender, had a rough game against Greece last week, but he made up for it by playing much better on the road against Finland.

The Gunners’ best player had 86 touches and completed 96% of his passes. He stood out with his runs up front, and in the 84th minute, Ollie Watkins’ cross set him up for a goal.

Along with his goal, the 25-year-old made four clearances and won all of his tackles. He also won three duels and only lost control of the ball five times.

This season has been rough for Rice, both for his club and his country. However, his most recent performance should make the Gunners happy, as they need more from him in terms of attack.

This season, the English player has played as the eight, since manager Mikel Arteta chose Thomas Partey to play in the defensive midfield spot.

In the Premier League and the Champions League, Rice has yet to help score a goal. He will have a chance to do so after the international break.

Arsenal plays Bournemouth on the road on Saturday. They then host Shakhtar Donetsk and Liverpool at home.

After this, they have four away games against Preston North End, Newcastle United, Inter Milan, and Chelsea. The last international break of the year comes next.

Martin Odegaard might not play in any of those games because he is still healing from an ankle injury, but the Gunners got a big injury help in the form of Bukayo Saka.

Saka almost hurt his leg against Greece. His boss, Lee Carsley, said he could have played against Finland but didn’t want to because he was too risky.