IThis was Declan Rice’s throwaway line. That’s because at the start of the week his focus was on England – his 50th cap in Tuesday’s Wembley friendly against Belgium – and captaining his country for the first time. Still, when asked about the aftermath – Sunday’s Premier League showdown with Manchester City – the Arsenal midfielder insisted: “If Arsenal want to get over the wall of being objectified, we have to do that.” . Let’s go out there and win. ”
Is it labeled as a thing? This feels like a good starting point to sit down with Rice again (twice in a week is almost unusual for any fighter, much less an A-lister with cards), especially for the match. is the next match, and what a match it is, and it is packed with significance as we move towards the title fight. Could Ms. Rice please elaborate? What kind of label did he mean?
“You yourself know what people say about Arsenal when they don’t win a game or come close to a game,” he says. “When we missed out on the top four two years ago. When we lost in the league last year. I think this is the new Arsenal.”
Rice doesn’t need to spell it out. The negative theories that have been clinging to Arsenal came to a head again last season when City overtook them from this point. Arsenal were eight points behind the leaders in mid-January. Despite having played more games than City, they were again eight points behind on April 1st. They have been on the front lines for a long time. It didn’t matter.
Rice was on the outside at the time and played a part in Arsenal’s collapse, even though it would certainly be glib and unfair to blame it all on a mental breakdown. Arsenal had won 2-0 against West Ham on April 16th. However, Rice, who was West Ham’s captain at the time, took the ball from Thomas Partey and a penalty was awarded, making it 2-1. Bukayo Saka missed the game for Arsenal, but West Ham equalized at 2-2.
The turnaround was astonishing, with Arsenal drawing 3-3 at home to Southampton. They were upset when they played City at the Etihad Stadium, losing 4-1, but that was pretty much it.
What Mr. Rice wants to talk about now, and he does so with unblinking conviction, is why this time is different. Arsenal now have more resources after making moves in last summer’s transfer window, something Rice has touched on. His £105m arrival from West Ham was a game-changer. His near-seamless integration will likely land him on the list of Player of the Year candidates. David Raya and Kai Havertz also agree. But what really surprised Rice was the group’s calmness and mindset.
“This is an Arsenal that has learned from last year, a group of players who are learning, getting older and more experienced,” he says. “The club also brought in some great players in the summer, all of whom have had a huge impact. We are ready to change the barrier around what people say about Arsenal.
“The players were disappointed last year losing the league by eight points. I don’t hear them talking about it much, but you can tell there’s a difference this year in terms of mentality and mindset. Calm down. That’s what I’ve noticed: We’ve got City on Sunday, Luton on Wednesday. I never think that there is. I just have to focus on that one game and do my best to win that one game.”
Arsenal is in perfect form. Since their winter break, which included a week of work and bonding in Dubai, they have won eight out of eight league games, averaging more than four goals per game and defeated Porto on penalties in the Champions League last 16. Next up is Bayern Munich. Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, won all seven league games at the Etihad and one more in the FA Cup.
Then there’s the Rodri factor. Rice’s midfield opponents have not lost in 62 games against City, a record in the Premier League era, but they have missed out on the Community Shield penalty shoot-out comeback against Arsenal last August. Strangely, the statistics show it as a draw and it seems to coincide with the Arsenal game.
“Leave me alone,” Rice says. “I would rather go out there and be the underdog and prove to everyone that we can really be the team we want to be. I would rather people say we are this, we are that, and we go out there and shock people and show them how good we are. I want to.
“It’s up to the 11 to get on the pitch and really show off the ball and prove that they can perform at the highest level and in moments of maximum pressure.”
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Coach Rice is pursuing Rodri in part because Rodri is on record saying that the world benchmark for No. 6 players is the Spaniard. Rodri did not feature in Arsenal’s 1-0 win against City at the Emirates in October last year. “Do you like him?” Rice asked, and for a moment you suspected he was furious. he’s not him
“Rhodri is a monster,” Rice said. “Even when I talk to the City players in England, they say they feel a difference when Rodri doesn’t play. You can see it, too. I have a lot of respect for him, how strong he is and how strong he is. It’s set up to be a really good fight and I’m sure there will be mutual respect.”
Rice is the latest Arsenal player to admit that Mikel Arteta is not doing anything unusual to reinvigorate his team in Dubai. They traveled there having suffered three consecutive defeats to Liverpool, twice in the league and once in the FA Cup. Rice says the manager’s watchword is ‘impact’ and his plans do not go beyond the next game at home to Crystal Palace.
Rice cited the away game against Palace, the second game of the league season, as the moment when he felt his Arsenal career had gone well, and that it reflected his development after the Dubai game in his new role as the team’s set-piece manager. It tells a story. Again, no Dubai story. It wasn’t discussed there. This decision was made based on Arsenal’s Palace personnel and the set-up of the visitors. That, and Arteta’s confidence in Rice’s technique. He scored the first goal from a corner kick and has continued to kick since then.
For City, too, Rice said there was more tension in the preparations and more tactical demands to deal with, adding that the relationship between Guardiola and Arteta had deepened the dynamic. And finally, to the big question that continues to plague Rice. During the 2021 European Championship final, he said he had never drank beer. Has that changed after he led West Ham to Europa Conference League glory last season?
“There’s a photo of me, [David] Moise…I had a can of Heineken, but I put it down,” Rice said. “I took a sip with him, put my arms around him, and it was just that moment. After his shield from the community, when a video about us came out… I smelled his bottle of champagne and said, ‘ Hmm, I thought and put it aside.
“Look, if we win. [this season] …I’m not thinking that far ahead, but I want to enjoy it when the time comes. It was a long and tiring season. ”
