Alan Smith believes there is just one player Arsenal cannot afford to lose for an extended period of time as they chase a long-awaited Premier League title.
The Gunners will look to maintain their four-point lead at the top of the Premier League on Sunday when they face north London rivals Tottenham.
Mikel Arteta’s side have amassed 26 points from their first 11 league games of the season, losing just once and conceding only five goals.
Arsenal have not won the Premier League since 2004 but are the favourites to secure the title ahead of second-placed Manchester City, faltering defending champions Liverpool and possible dark horses Chelsea.
Smith believes it is a ‘two-horse race’ for the title between Arsenal and Man City and says his former club’s resolve will be truly tested should they be without Declan Rice for a significant period of time.
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Rice has hardly missed a game for Arsenal since his £105m move from West Ham in 2023 and is considered one of the best midfielders in the world.
Asked how Arsenal will cope with any injury blows as they bid to become champions, Smith told Metro on behalf of BestBettingSites: ‘We’ve seen Arsenal lose a couple of key players, haven’t we?
‘Martin Odegaard was perhaps the main one but [Eberechi] Eze came in and we haven’t really seen a drop-off.
‘Declan Rice would be a big loss if he got injured because you would lose that drive in midfield and his set-piece ability which has become so important. They haven’t really got anybody to replace Rice.
‘The defence has been superb but even at the back, [Cristhian] Mosquera has come in at times and they’ve got [Piero] Hincapie as well, so Rice would be the biggest loss for me.’
Another Arsenal hero, Lee Dixon, also views Rice as the most important player to the Gunners’ title bid.
‘The squad is so strong and has two players for each position,’ Dixon told Metro on behalf of OLBG.
‘Looking at the cover they’ve got in every position, the one player they don’t really have a replacement for is Declan Rice.
‘He’s that kind of all-round midfielder, box-to-box. He obviously can play deep and we see him do that for Arsenal.
‘Rice is the heart and soul of Arsenal’s midfield and links the back four and makes runs into the box. And also, let’s not forget, he’s probably the best corner-taker in world football.
‘Nobody takes a corner like he does. He sticks it underneath the crossbar every single time.
‘So I think I’d probably stick my neck out and say if Arsenal were going to lose one player for a period of time that would affect the team, it would be Declan Rice.’
Smith believes Manchester City are Arsenal’s biggest rivals for the Premier League title and has ruled Liverpool out of the race.
‘I thought it would be difficult to make firm conclusions if the match between Man City and Liverpool was close,’ Smith added.
‘But City were so much better and superior that now you’re looking at Liverpool and doubting they have enough for the title challenge.
‘Arsenal and Man City, it will be a two-horse race between those two. It’s going to be fascinating to see how that develops.’
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