Rooney: 'Rice will be Arsenal's leader'
On the evening of July 19, Rooney led MLS All Star in a friendly match against Arsenal at Audi Field, Washington. The Gunners dominated with 56% possession, finished 16 times with five shots on target - compared with 7 and 1 for the all-star US Championship team - and won 5-0 thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Jorginho, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz.
This great victory also saw Rice debut with Arsenal, when he replaced Jorginho from the 65th minute, and Rooney was impressed with the performance of the compatriot midfielder. Rice was just recruited by Arsenal from West Ham for a total of $ 137 million, including 10 million extra fees depending on the midfielder's contribution. He became the most expensive contract in Arsenal history, breaking Nicolas Pepe's record of $ 87 million in the summer of 2019.
"I think Rice has to be the real leader of Arsenal," Rooney said at his post-match press conference. "Frank Lampard said he felt that Rice could be Chelsea's captain for the next 10 years if he joined the club. I think Rice has the personality and can do that with Arsenal. For sure, he will be an important player for them."
Rooney and MLS All Star practiced only two sessions before the Arsenal game, in which the second session took place at a temporary pitch at the National Mall. The 37-year-old coach viewed the friendly as a "good event" and hailed Arsenal as one of the best clubs in Europe, but was not satisfied with the training layout.
"As suggested, I don't want the team to practice at the National Mall, but there's nothing more that can be done," he said. "We don't really have time to practice tactics. I just put the players on the pitch and hope they can find a solution on their own, but that is very difficult to do against an opponent like Arsenal."
According to the former Man Utd and England captain, MLS All Star was a bit nervous and hesitant in the first half, and there was a big gap in quality and continuity compared to the English Premier League runners-up. Rooney said: "You try to be comfortable and have a good experience. Obviously this is a good thing when we play with top players. But I also think they need to play with personal pride, try to do well and not let the score like tonight."
The MLS All Star squad did not have Lionel Messi, because the Argentine star did not have time to prepare physically, when he first practiced with Inter Miami on July 18. Rooney admits Messi has raised the bar, but cannot immediately turn MLS into a league of the same quality as other top leagues.
After winning the MLS All Star, Arsenal also met Man Utd in New Jersey on July 22, Barca in Los Angeles on July 26. The "Gunners" will close the pre-season with a match against Monaco in the annual Emirates Cup friendly on August 2. Four days later, the army under Mikel Arteta will meet Man City in the English Super Cup match at Wembley.
