When it comes to Declan Rice, the question always comes up—is he a 6 or an 8? Honestly, it doesn’t matter much to me, because he plays both roles at a very high level. What really matters is how he’s used. At Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has clearly leaned towards using him as a number 8, and it makes sense. Rice has the engine, the stamina, and the intelligence to run box-to-box, especially on that left side of midfield.

When he plays as an 8 under Arteta, he’s constantly transitioning between attack and defense. That kind of role isn’t for every midfielder—it requires elite awareness, physicality, and tactical discipline. Rice thrives there. He presses high, breaks up play, makes driving runs into the box, and still manages to cover defensively when needed.

But let’s talk about when he plays as a 6.

Yes, Rice can play the number 6 role. He’s done it well in the past for West Ham and for England. But in Arteta’s system, he doesn’t quite tick every box when used as the lone 6. And here’s why: the number 6 role at Arsenal is more than just a defensive job. It’s multifaceted. Sometimes it’s about sitting deep and shielding the defense, other times it’s about being the one who controls the tempo and builds the play from deep. That role changes depending on the profile of the player occupying it.

Let’s look at the three players who’ve played as 6s under Arteta:

• Jorginho is a deep-lying playmaker. He doesn’t offer much defensively, and he lacks the athleticism to cover ground. But he can dictate the game from deep with his passing and positioning.
• Rice, when used as a 6, is more of a destroyer. He’s at his best defensively—winning duels, intercepting passes, breaking up transitions. But when it comes to dictating the game from deep or building attacks under pressure, that’s not his strong suit.
• Partey is somewhere in between. He might not have Rice’s pace or physicality, but he understands space, can defend, and—crucially—he can playmake from deep. He’s probably the most complete 6 in the squad when fully fit.

So, what’s Rice’s best role at Arsenal?

Right now, it’s clearly as a number 8. It allows him to use his athleticism, his ability to cover ground, and his knack for arriving late in the box. In that role, he also has the flexibility to drop into a double pivot next to whoever’s playing as the 6—be it Jorginho or Partey—especially when Arsenal are defending a lead or trying to control a game.

One of the reasons the club is actively looking to sign Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad—and reportedly offering Partey a new deal—is because it points to Rice’s long-term future being in the number 8 role. The idea is clear: let Rice dominate as a box-to-box midfielder while having a specialist 6 behind him to control the game.

At the end of the day, it’s not about labeling Rice as a 6 or an 8. It’s about understanding what the system demands and how his qualities fit into it. And right now, Arteta’s getting the best out of Rice by letting him roam box-to-box, dominate physically, and play with freedom.