Arsenal must perform better at Manchester City on Sunday to press their Premier League title claims. The Gunners currently sit nine points ahead of Manchester City, who have a game in hand, at the top of the Premier League table, but they have lost three of their last four games. According to The Guardian - Football, Declan Rice described the need for improved basics and confidence, stating that the Etihad Stadium presents the ultimate test. It remains unclear whether Arsenal's recent dip in form is due to tactical issues, player fatigue, or other factors, and the extent of their injury situation and which key players are unavailable has not been confirmed.
In European competition, Arsenal are the only English team in the Champions League semi-finals. They advanced to the Champions League semi-finals after a goalless draw against Sporting Lisbon, having held a slim 1-0 lead over Sporting CP after the first leg of their quarter-final. According to Daily Mirror - Football, Declan Rice expressed delight at the achievement, emphasizing the group's desire to go one step further. The club is dealing with the pressure of trying to end a six-year trophy drought, with former captain Patrick Vieira offering encouragement. According to The Independent - Main, Patrick Vieira described reminding the team of their season-long efforts and noting that many coaches would want to be in their position.
Yes, for sure. We know that as a group. There's no beating around the bush. We have to perform better than we did against Bournemouth. You can say against Sporting on Wednesday, as well. In the defensive aspect, we were much better. Recently we probably made too many errors that we haven't done in previous weeks. But we cut that out [against Sporting], which was good.
Declan Rice has become one of Arsenal's most important players since joining from West Ham United in 2023, with his transfer reportedly worth around £100 million. He is currently the bookmakers' favourite for the Premier League's player of the season award. According to The Independent - Main, Patrick Vieira described Rice as the engine and drive of the team, highlighting his natural leadership as crucial for the rest of the season. According to Fotbolltransfers, Steven Gerrard described Rice as one of the best players in the world and praised his development under Mikel Arteta, expressing regret that Liverpool did not sign him.
Arsenal have netted 19 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season, five more than any other side, with non-penalty set pieces contributing 32.2% of their league goals this campaign. According to Daily Express - Sport, Declan Rice described the set-piece success as stemming from detailed planning and execution, crediting long meetings and repetition on the pitch. It is uncertain whether Arsenal's set-piece tactics are considered unfair or simply effective within the rules.
It's about doing the basics a little bit better, to a better level ... just the five-, 10-yard passes that we're giving away a bit sloppily. And just that confidence with the ball, just taking more touches, relaxing on the ball, not feeling under pressure. The Etihad is the ultimate test but it's why we play this game. So, bring it on.
Arsenal are receiving criticism for not being considered particularly entertaining. According to Daily Mirror - Football, Declan Rice dismissed frustration over external opinions, focusing on the group's and manager's thoughts, and noted that opponents often deploy defensive formations, limiting spaces. According to The Guardian - Football, Declan Rice described the pain of seeing Manchester City lift the trophy last season, fueling a desire to eradicate that feeling. The sustainability of Arsenal's style of play under Mikel Arteta for winning multiple trophies this season, and how much external criticism is affecting squad morale and performance, remain open questions.
On the day they were the better team. It would have been wrong for us to walk inside and not show that respect. But to see them lift that, it did hurt. There is that fire in the stomach to eradicate that on the weekend. We have six games to go in the Premier League and we know how big it is.
It comes from us, the way we set up and then everyone talks about it and then everyone does it – so it's confusing! But they're not doing it to the level that we do it. You can see that when you're seeing teams take corners. We can still get better and that's the good thing about it.
We've got something we're really good at – so much goes into it, it's not just we whip in a corner and someone heads it in. Execution, the timing, what we plan has to be bang on the money for us to score a goal – and we've done that many times this season. So credit to all of us because they're long meetings going through set pieces, doing it on the pitch, repetition.
I think I would remind them about what they've been doing since the first game of the season. I would remind them that the majority of the coaches and the teams will want to be in their shoes. There's a lot of managers and teams that will want to play a quarter-final of the Champions League and to be top of the [Premier] League.
I don't know how he [Rice] is in the dressing room but something I like on the field he is the engine of the team, the drive of the team. I like seeing him going forward, making runs, I like to see him challenging for the tackles because when you win the ball in the midfield that shows to your teammates that you are present and what you need to do. His natural leadership will be really important for the rest of the season.
Delighted, so so happy. It was a really tough test over two games but to go back to back semi-finals is an amazing achievement for this group and we want to go one step further and make the final. Played Atletico once this year, was a really good game, we know what to expect, so bring on these last couple of weeks.
No frustration, positivity all the way, who cares what people think? All that matters is what this group think, what the manager thinks.
Of course you want to score goals. But most teams that come here we play against 5-4-1 every time, so there's a bit of perspective with that. Every team we play changes from a four to a five so the spaces aren't there, and that's the actual truth.
You have to win every game in the Premier League, our record this year has been amazing in all competitions. I know I'll be ready, I know the boys will be ready.
He becomes better and better. I think he is one of the best players in the world.
It was a fantastic move for him. I actually wish we at Liverpool had signed him. With the confidence he has gained through his performances for the national team and in that environment, he has taken another step at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta.