Declan Rice, the master of Arsenal’s midfield, has said that his teammates “can’t believe” they didn’t win the championship the previous year despite holding an eight-point lead in the first few days of April.
Declan Rice has provided insight into how the Arsenal team views their title defeat from the previous year as they prepare for another run at the top this year.
For the vast portion of the previous season, Arsenal led the Premier League standings; however, as the season’s finish approached, Arsenal began to exhibit weaknesses. Their hopes were severely damaged by three straight draws with West Ham, Southampton, and Liverpool before Manchester City emerged victorious after losses to Brighton and Nottingham Forest.
Opposition supporters made fun of Mikel Arteta’s team because, in the first half of April, Arsenal had an eight-point advantage at the top but gave it away in the last stretch. At that point, Rice wasn’t a Gunners player; instead, he was leading West Ham in east London.
Rice, who was acquired for an astounding £105 million in the summer, has now established himself as one of Arsenal’s finest players and has learned what his new teammates are thinking about their performance from the previous campaign.
During the London Football Awards, Rice gave his explanation, saying, “I believe Arsenal was the league’s best team last year. They made a mistake at the very end, and it’s clear that City always comes out on top. They seem to be saying that they find it hard to accept that, despite being eight points ahead in the league, they lost.”
The 25-year-old continued by outlining how Arsenal tried to get better the previous year. “I feel like everyone, including the manager and the staff, has learned from their mistakes this year,” he continued.
“Everyone is more confident and powerful than before. Even with a goal deficit, we possess the self-assurance and mental toughness to persevere and win the match.
“As I mentioned, there are still 12 games left and anything can happen in this year’s great league. The important point is that we are correct. We lost two straight games, which wasn’t good because we had a small wobble over Christmas.”
With twelve games remaining, the Gunners are well within the title fight, as Rice has stated. Right now, Arteta’s team is one point behind second-place Manchester City and two points behind league leaders Liverpool.
The Gunners’ trip to the Etihad Stadium in March may prove to be a turning point in the title fight, but not before City hosts Liverpool at Anfield. Arsenal’s two competitors for the title also have local derbies to fight in; if Arteta’s team wins, they might be leading the pack at the beginning of April.