Declan Rice & Conor Gallagher's stats in 23/24 compared | OneFootball

Arsenal and Chelsea have both endured contrasting starts to the 2023/24 Premier League season, with the Gunners continuing to keep within touching distance of Manchester City at the top of the table, while their London rivals languish in mid-table. The midfield of each side has been vital in the way the campaign has kicked off for either side, as new signings in both teams have struggled to adapt somewhat.

Mauricio Pochettino took over as Chelsea manager over the summer and was greeted by a chaotic environment at Stamford Bridge. A bloated squad, full of players that don't exactly fit the Argentine's philosophy was not an ideal place to start. Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta had already set the foundations in place for his young Arsenal team to just continue the momentum they have gathered over the past 18 months. Only a couple of signings were required in the summer to keep the Gunners' side ticking over.

One of those signings was Declan Rice, who joined from West Ham for a fee of £105 million to become one of the most expensive signings in Premier League history. The former Hammers captain has been seen to hit the ground running by many as the final piece in the puzzle, while Kai Havertz - signed from Chelsea - has struggled to have the desired impact on the midfield at the Emirates.

Moises Caicedo - who became the most expensive signing in the history of English football - has faced similar struggles to Havertz during his opening few months in West London. The former Brighton man was looked upon as the player to partner Enzo Fernández for the next decade at the heart of the Chelsea midfield at the expense of the likes of Conor Gallagher. This hasn't been the case, however, as Gallagher has been able to retain a place in Pochettino's team throughout the opening third of the campaign due to his elevated performances.

These performances have been enough to get the English midfielder into conversations with Rice, with genuine debates taking place on who has had the better individual season so far. Squawka have posted a comparison of the two players' stats in 23/24 online and the results may come as a shock to many.

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Conor Gallagher impresses against Declan Rice

Gallagher had looked like a player that could fall by the wayside due to the abundance of players brought into Chelsea over the summer transfer window, but the 23-year-old was handed an opportunity by his new manager on the opening day of the season against Liverpool. Previously playing as an attacking midfielder with the task of getting into the box, the Englishman was handed a more defensive role by Pochettino with the responsibility of keeping tabs on Mohamed Salah.

More than 10 league games on, Gallagher is now one of the first names on the teamsheet as a box-to-box midfielder alongside Fernandez and Caicedo. The comparison with Rice goes to show exactly why the former Crystal Palace loanee is a key man for the Blues. Rice is viewed as one of the best defensive midfield players in the business, but the statistics show that Gallagher has actually had a bigger influence on his team defensively.

The Chelsea player has contested more duels than his compatriot with 131 attempts at winning the ball back in comparison to Rice's 98. Gallagher has also won more tackles (34) than the Arsenal midfielder (24). It is important to note that Arteta's side have been a more possession-dominant team than Chelsea so far this season, meaning there is naturally less defensive work for Rice to do compared to Gallagher.

Pochettino's team are very high-pressing - particularly against the bigger sides - and this can be seen in Gallagher's 85 ball recoveries. This is 25 more than Rice has achieved for his team so far this campaign. Despite his more reserved role in midfield, Gallagher has also created more chances (19) than Rice (9), in yet another statistic that goes in the favour of the Chelsea man.

It is not all one-sided in this comparison as Arsenal's £105 million superstar has made significantly more forward passes, with 177 compared to Gallagher's 137. This will surprise a few, as the latter is the more attacking player of the two. Rice does look to drive his team forward by playing passes into areas that cause problems for opposing teams. He perhaps deserves more credit for the way in which he drags the whole team forward with his driving runs and good pass selection.

Rice also comes out on top in terms of ground duels won as he has won 55.38% of his challenges on the ground in comparison to Gallagher's 54.24%. In terms of clearances, the Gunners midfielder also comes out on top with a significant difference of 10. It goes to show that both men have their strong points, but the results possibly lean in Gallagher's favour slightly more than expected.

Why Gallagher's statistics are stronger than Rice's

As already mentioned, Arsenal tend to have the lion's share of possession in their games, while Chelsea have been involved in more balanced ties. This means that Gallagher has a lot more defensive work to do - including pressing opposing midfielders high up the field. Pochettino's side have thrived in the big games so far this season, including the thrilling 4-4 draw against Manchester City, and Gallagher is often tasked with becoming a fourth forward as well as being very active in the engine room.

Rice has still had a good start to life at the Emirates despite the results of this comparison. Both men have played in all 12 league games to date, but the 24-year-old has played slightly fewer minutes than his Chelsea counterpart. Arsenal's dominance in the majority of their games does work to the detriment of Rice in terms of statistics, but his presence in a team only one point of the top of the Premier League table shows his ability is still incredible.