Arsenal Thread | 2025/26

bridgeno1 said:
Sure so here we go.

Toure was a force of nature- I think he got 20 goals in a season. Attacking wise he is for sure the better player.

However Rice is far more reliable defensively, and gives far more effort and workrate than Toure. Toure would wander off the ball whereas Rice has superb positional skills. Rice is also far more of a leader vs Toure who could be surly (Happy Birthday anyone). Rice you'll get 8/10 every week whereas Toure would win a game single handedly and then next week have a bit of a stinker.

BTW I asked a fellow Gooner this and he thinks I'm a fucking moron and that 2013/2014 Toure was the most complete midfielder the Prem has ever seen so this is personal opinion and not representative of Gunners fans as a whole!
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I think it’s probably more a conversation of who gets in the team between Declan Rice and Claudio Pizarro.

I’ll give you it, Rice may shade that one
 
Ok I've asked Google Gemini Pro using Deepmind capabilities on who is better between Toure, Rice and also Rodri and this is what it has to say;

When you add Rodri to the mix, the conversation shifts from "Who is better?" to "What does your team actually need?"

If Yaya is the Unstoppable Force and Rice is the Endless Engine, then Rodri is the Tactical Architect. In the eyes of many modern coaches, Rodri has actually surpassed the other two in terms of "midfield perfection," mainly because he won the 2024 Ballon d'Or—a feat neither Yaya nor Rice (so far) has achieved.

Why Rodri is currently the "Gold Standard"
While Yaya was more exciting to watch and Rice is more athletic, Rodri is the player who makes a team unbeatable. * The "Invincible" Streak: In 2023 and 2024, Manchester City and Spain almost literally could not lose when Rodri was on the pitch. His presence alone provides a 10-15% boost to a team's win probability.
* The Brain: Unlike Yaya, who would sometimes drift out of defensive positions, or Rice, who relies on his legs to cover ground, Rodri rarely has to sprint. He is always in the right place, making him the world's best at stopping counter-attacks before they even start.
* Clutch Goals: He doesn't score 20 a season like Yaya, but he scores the most important ones (e.g., the only goal in the 2023 UCL Final).

The "Yaya vs. Rodri" Debate
This is the most frequent comparison in Manchester City history.
* Yaya was a better "individual" player. If you were down 1-0 in the 80th minute, you’d want Yaya to just grab the ball and run through everyone.
* Rodri is a better "system" player. If you want to dominate 70% possession and never face a shot on goal, you pick Rodri.

Where Rice Fits In
Rice is currently the middle ground between them. He has more defensive bite than Yaya and more ball-carrying ability than Rodri. However, even Yaya himself has weighed in on this, stating:

"Rodri is good, but Declan Rice is very good... but I’m going to go for Rodri [because he wins trophies]."

The Final Hierarchy (2026 Perspective)
* Rodri (The Peak Achiever): Winning the Ballon d'Or as a "defensive" midfielder in the era of Haaland and Mbappé puts him in a tier of his own. He is the most complete "6" the game has seen since Sergio Busquets.
* Yaya Touré (The Peak Performer): At his absolute best in 2013/14, Yaya was a better attacking force than most strikers. His "ceiling" for individual brilliance remains higher than Rodri's or Rice's.
* Declan Rice (The Modern Workhorse): Rice is the most consistent and durable. He is essentially a "9/10" every single game, whereas Yaya had "off" days. He is still chasing the major silverware that would move him into the top spot.
1000007210.jpg
 
bridgeno1 said:
Ok I've asked Google Gemini Pro using Deepmind capabilities on who is better between Toure, Rice and also Rodri and this is what it has to say;

When you add Rodri to the mix, the conversation shifts from "Who is better?" to "What does your team actually need?"

If Yaya is the Unstoppable Force and Rice is the Endless Engine, then Rodri is the Tactical Architect. In the eyes of many modern coaches, Rodri has actually surpassed the other two in terms of "midfield perfection," mainly because he won the 2024 Ballon d'Or—a feat neither Yaya nor Rice (so far) has achieved.

Why Rodri is currently the "Gold Standard"
While Yaya was more exciting to watch and Rice is more athletic, Rodri is the player who makes a team unbeatable. * The "Invincible" Streak: In 2023 and 2024, Manchester City and Spain almost literally could not lose when Rodri was on the pitch. His presence alone provides a 10-15% boost to a team's win probability.
* The Brain: Unlike Yaya, who would sometimes drift out of defensive positions, or Rice, who relies on his legs to cover ground, Rodri rarely has to sprint. He is always in the right place, making him the world's best at stopping counter-attacks before they even start.
* Clutch Goals: He doesn't score 20 a season like Yaya, but he scores the most important ones (e.g., the only goal in the 2023 UCL Final).

The "Yaya vs. Rodri" Debate
This is the most frequent comparison in Manchester City history.
* Yaya was a better "individual" player. If you were down 1-0 in the 80th minute, you’d want Yaya to just grab the ball and run through everyone.
* Rodri is a better "system" player. If you want to dominate 70% possession and never face a shot on goal, you pick Rodri.

Where Rice Fits In
Rice is currently the middle ground between them. He has more defensive bite than Yaya and more ball-carrying ability than Rodri. However, even Yaya himself has weighed in on this, stating:

"Rodri is good, but Declan Rice is very good... but I’m going to go for Rodri [because he wins trophies]."

The Final Hierarchy (2026 Perspective)
* Rodri (The Peak Achiever): Winning the Ballon d'Or as a "defensive" midfielder in the era of Haaland and Mbappé puts him in a tier of his own. He is the most complete "6" the game has seen since Sergio Busquets.
* Yaya Touré (The Peak Performer): At his absolute best in 2013/14, Yaya was a better attacking force than most strikers. His "ceiling" for individual brilliance remains higher than Rodri's or Rice's.
* Declan Rice (The Modern Workhorse): Rice is the most consistent and durable. He is essentially a "9/10" every single game, whereas Yaya had "off" days. He is still chasing the major silverware that would move him into the top spot.
View attachment 182111
Click to expand...
Cuckoo.

Sums up the modern football **** when they have to ask a fucking google chat for an opinion because they are too stupid to have their own.
 
bridgeno1 said:
Ok I've asked Google Gemini Pro using Deepmind capabilities on who is better between Toure, Rice and also Rodri and this is what it has to say;

When you add Rodri to the mix, the conversation shifts from "Who is better?" to "What does your team actually need?"

If Yaya is the Unstoppable Force and Rice is the Endless Engine, then Rodri is the Tactical Architect. In the eyes of many modern coaches, Rodri has actually surpassed the other two in terms of "midfield perfection," mainly because he won the 2024 Ballon d'Or—a feat neither Yaya nor Rice (so far) has achieved.

Why Rodri is currently the "Gold Standard"
While Yaya was more exciting to watch and Rice is more athletic, Rodri is the player who makes a team unbeatable. * The "Invincible" Streak: In 2023 and 2024, Manchester City and Spain almost literally could not lose when Rodri was on the pitch. His presence alone provides a 10-15% boost to a team's win probability.
* The Brain: Unlike Yaya, who would sometimes drift out of defensive positions, or Rice, who relies on his legs to cover ground, Rodri rarely has to sprint. He is always in the right place, making him the world's best at stopping counter-attacks before they even start.
* Clutch Goals: He doesn't score 20 a season like Yaya, but he scores the most important ones (e.g., the only goal in the 2023 UCL Final).

The "Yaya vs. Rodri" Debate
This is the most frequent comparison in Manchester City history.
* Yaya was a better "individual" player. If you were down 1-0 in the 80th minute, you’d want Yaya to just grab the ball and run through everyone.
* Rodri is a better "system" player. If you want to dominate 70% possession and never face a shot on goal, you pick Rodri.

Where Rice Fits In
Rice is currently the middle ground between them. He has more defensive bite than Yaya and more ball-carrying ability than Rodri. However, even Yaya himself has weighed in on this, stating:

"Rodri is good, but Declan Rice is very good... but I’m going to go for Rodri [because he wins trophies]."

The Final Hierarchy (2026 Perspective)
* Rodri (The Peak Achiever): Winning the Ballon d'Or as a "defensive" midfielder in the era of Haaland and Mbappé puts him in a tier of his own. He is the most complete "6" the game has seen since Sergio Busquets.
* Yaya Touré (The Peak Performer): At his absolute best in 2013/14, Yaya was a better attacking force than most strikers. His "ceiling" for individual brilliance remains higher than Rodri's or Rice's.
* Declan Rice (The Modern Workhorse): Rice is the most consistent and durable. He is essentially a "9/10" every single game, whereas Yaya had "off" days. He is still chasing the major silverware that would move him into the top spot.
View attachment 182111
Click to expand...
Sums it up perfectly.

Defensive coverage is Rice’s superpower. Perfect for a team that doesn’t have the ball much. Perhaps West Ham should be looking to get him back on loan.
 
Seems a fairly pointless exercise engaging with @bridgeno1 as his/her posts are basically for his amusement or simply wumming imo.

Not prepared to engage when Arteta and his team tactics are brought up - which is the biggest argument/discussion point surrounding arsenal, and the way in which these have become detrimental to football in general.

Gooner supporters must appreciate the tactics/approach as I am unaware of any outcry/criticisms from them regarding
this aspect.

Arteta and his management ethos, is the issue but if his tactics help the club to win the PL, I expect the media love-in for him will be off the scale ( totally ignoring the totally unsavoury manner of the football aspects).
 
Yaya played as an #8 and #10 with us, under Mancini. He played as a #6 and CB for Barca. Rice is good, but he has never shown as much versatility at the highest level.
 
Arteta wants a bigger matchday squad as its bad for players mental health to be told they are shit and getting paid a fortune to not travel lmfao. Despite playing shite we might actually have a chance of the league with this mentality of there's.
 
The way the blockers run into position, en mass and just before the corner is taken, means the referee can't spot the multiple obstructions in real time in a packed six yard box . Sides would do better putting a couple more players upfield to confound their bully boy tactics as they'd have to cover them to avoid a counter .

It's already been said but if employed their American football tactics VAR would be all over every goal we scored .
 
bridgeno1 said:
Ok I'll bite. From that list Aguero gets into the current Gunners side. Tevez does but we wouldn't play him and Aguero together. Silva does. Toure absolutely doesn't get in ahead of Rice IMHO. Kompany over Saliba or Gabriel is a coin flip thing.
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Obviously this clown has lost the plot by saying Toure doesn’t get in over one of the most overrated players in the league in Declan Rice.

However how has no one called him out on that final take yet? Those chuckle brothers Arteta has at the back aren’t fit to lace our Vinnies boots. What a horrible horrible take that entire post is. The guy has to be a WUM
 
In my eyes, Rodri is the best midfielder the Premier league has seen.

Yaya was a physical behemoth, the opposition couln't get near him. He could win a game on his own and he scored 'heavy' goals but could also go missing when he didn't fancy it. And towards the end he tailed off a lot which I think sticks in peoples memories.

I really like Rice but is he just a taller version of Scott Parker?
 
TonyBookEnd said:
In my eyes, Rodri is the best midfielder the Premier league has seen.

Yaya was a physical behemoth, the opposition couln't get near him. He could win a game on his own and he scored 'heavy' goals but could also go missing when he didn't fancy it. And towards the end he tailed off a lot which I think sticks in peoples memories.

I really like Rice but is he just a taller version of Scott Parker?
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Fernandinho?

I think, at his best, Dinho was the equal, if not better than Rodri. He had more pace and patrolled the midfield like a guard dog.
 
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