OPINION
West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice has recently grabbed the headlines due to the decision he has to make over his international allegiance.
He is currently having to decide whether to continue to represent the Republic of Ireland, or switch to England after being approached by manager Gareth Southgate.
However, this will be rather irrelevant to Hammers’ boss Manuel Pellegrini, who must transform the young ace into the squad in order to solve their midfield crisis.
Jack Wilshere is not up to scratch, which is mainly down to the fact that Pellegrini does not know where to play him half of the time, largely operating him as a defensive midfielder.
It is clear that the decision does not suit him as much as it used to, which is why Pellegrini must play Rice in the more defensive role and give Wilshere more freedom in an attacking midfield position.
He normally plays as a centre-back, but has been known to operate in the midfield if necessary – and this is something that Pellegrini must do if he wants to salvage his team’s season.
The Chilean could opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation, with the 19-year-old enforcer adopting the defensive role alongside Carlos Sanchez in front of the back four.
The advantage of playing Rice in that position means that he can drift back into the back four to cover if necessary, especially if the two central defenders bring the ball out from the back.
If Pellegrini employs this formation with Rice in front of the back line, then we may see a midfield more capable of keeping possession, rather than being outplayed.
The midfield have looked lazy in recent games, but with Wilshere being able to attack more freely and Rice being re-introduced, then the Irons’ fortunes will turn around quickly.
Rice is the answer to West Ham’s current midfield crisis – and Pellegrini will start to heed the benefits of playing him more often.
