Manager Declan Rice gave a shout-out to his Arsenal colleagues after a well-structured meeting following the draw with Wolves, which added to the pressure at the top.
Declan Rice remains a key player at Arsenal
Manager Declan Rice has made it clear to his Arsenal teammates that he will not hand over the Premier League title after the team held “robust” talks following the draw with Wolves.
The Gunners trailed by two goals against Molineux on Wednesday night, but the bottom-of-the-league outfit equalized in the 94th minute. This means that the gap at the top of the table with Arsenal, who have two wins from seven games, could narrow even further.
After finishing second in the table for three consecutive seasons, the pressure is on for the North Londoners to get over the line. They have been top of the table for most of the season, but Manchester City look to be a force to be reckoned with.
Josep Guardiola’s side have been chasing them in recent years and could move within two points if they win the game. They also play Arsenal this weekend and Rice was candid in reminding his colleagues of the challenges they face.
He told The Sun: “We’re not going to have it handed to us. We need to go win, we need to deserve it and we need to be ready for what’s going to be thrown at us.
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“After the Wolves game, we had a good chat with each other. We knew we were going to let ourselves and the fans down when we were in such a good position. Missing out on that is not the standard we set for ourselves this season. We had a team meeting and we’re ready to go again.”
Manager Mikel Arteta respected his players’ time off on Thursday despite Arsenal’s below-average performance and disappointment against Wolves. There are fears among fans that another chance at a trophy could slip out of their hands, but Rice insists the whole club needs to come together in the final months.
Arsenal need to respond after setback against Wolves
The midfielder said: “At this stage of the season, we need the support of our supporters more than ever. We have come this far together and now is not the time to turn against each other. We need everyone to be on the same page, on the same path and to continue to fight for the players and for this club (as fans). Keep believing in us, keep pushing us and we hope that with your help we can bring something special. So let’s keep moving forward.”
City must travel to the Etihad on April 18 and will also face the Manchester team in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley next month, giving them their first chance at silver medal.
“There’s a long way to go. There’s still a lot to be positive about. There are prospects here,” said the Arsenal midfielder. “We’re still having a great season and we can’t let outside noise get in the way of that.”
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