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Alex Iwobi says Arsenal have a midfielder he absolutely hates playing against

Alex Iwobi will always have a soft spot for Arsenal.

Indeed, as a Hale End graduate, Iwobi still loves Arsenal, and he’s always happy to speak highly of the club and some of his former teammates.

However, speaking to , Alex Iwobi now says that Arsenal have a player who he really doesn’t like playing against.

According to the Fulham midfielder, Declan Rice is a real pain in the backside as an opponent.

According to Iwobi, Rice is very annoying to play against, claiming that he’s a fantastic technician as well as a hard worker.

Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images

Declan Rice is an annoying opponent

Iwobi was asked what it’s like to play against Rice.

The Fulham star says Rice is a top player, and he also noted that he’s one of the hardest workers in the game too.

Ultimately, Iwobi described Rice as an ‘annoying’ opponent.

Rice has earned huge praise recently after two standout performances against Real Madrid.

“Declan Rice, what’s it like playing against a player like that?” Iwobi was asked.

“Nah, he’s a big baller. Even when he was at West Ham. Not only is he great technically, he runs everywhere, he covers every blade of grass. When I’ve played in midfield it’s annoying trying to track him and get away from him. He’s good on the ball and he’s gonna work as hard off the ball. He’s a great player for Arsenal to have, and for me he’s definitely one to be world-class,” Iwobi said.

Alex Iwobi’s record vs Declan Rice

Iwobi says that Rice is very difficult to play against, but, interestingly, over the years, the Nigerian does have a great record against the England international.

Indeed, despite the fact Iwobi doesn’t like facing off against Rice, his results when he’s played against the England international have been solid to say the least.

Alex Iwobi’s record vs Declan Rice
Games12
Wins6
Draws1
Losses5

Iwobi wins more than he loses when he plays against Rice, and even in games involving Fulham and Arsenal where you’d expect there to be a mismatch, Iwobi has one win, one draw and one loss from three outings.

Rice is a world-class player, but, for one reason or another, he doesn’t have the greatest of records when it comes to winning games against Alex Iwobi’s teams over the years.