David Akachukwu
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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has criticized Chelsea captain Reece James following the Blues’ 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
Rooney pointed out that James “struggled all game” against Arsenal, highlighting that he was overly focused on man-marking Declan Rice throughout the match. According to Rooney, attempting to keep tabs on Rice proved to be too challenging for James.
Mikel Merino’s first-half header secured all three points for Arsenal in their victory over Enzo Maresca’s side.
Speaking about James on Match of the Day 2, Rooney said:
“I just felt that Reece James had a job to do today, and he was man-marking Declan Rice which, coming back from injury, is very difficult to do.
“I felt he struggled all game. He’s trying to play the role the manager has given him, but I think he found it tough.
“If we have a look at it here [screenshot below], you can see Reece James staying close to Declan Rice.
“But as play progresses, Reece James is always thinking about Declan Rice there’s no other thought in his head.
“Thomas Partey moves into the space [screenshot below] and receives the ball unchallenged, which was a recurring theme throughout the game. Nothing comes of this particular instance, but once again, Reece James is simply following Declan Rice everywhere.”
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