It’s no longer just a fantasy. Arsenal could win four major trophies this season.
It’s not like the players have time to think about it.
Arsenal advanced to the quarter-finals champions league On Tuesday, they defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-0, winning 3-1 on aggregate.
Mikel Arteta’s team too lead the premier league They faced Manchester City in Sunday’s English League Cup final with a nine-point lead and advanced to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
So midfielder Declan Rice was asked after the Leverkusen game how excited he was about Arsenal’s chances of winning four trophies.
Rice, who was one of the scorers against Leverkusen, said: “Actually, we don’t get too caught up in it because things come at us so hard and so fast… There’s no time to think about what’s going on.”
“We just have to keep playing and getting ready for the game as quickly as possible. In football it’s all about momentum and confidence and the more we keep winning, the more the atmosphere there becomes a good factor which is obviously really good for everyone.”
Arsenal have also been lucky with draws in cup matches.
Next up for the Champions League are Sporting Lisbon, who may have completed the biggest comeback in the competition’s history by overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit by defeating Bodo Grint 5-0, but they may be the weakest team in the quarter-finals, at least on paper.
Arsenal drew with Southampton in the second division in the FA Cup, making them heavy favorites to advance to the semi-finals.
As for the League Cup final, City will play with 10 men for 20 minutes against Real Madrid, who lost 2-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday. Arsenal also have a psychological advantage heading into Wembley Stadium with a huge lead in the Premier League title race in recent weeks.
“We have momentum. We feel like we can win every game we play,” Rice said. “And that’s a good thing at the moment. Confidence is everything in football.”
Rice also praised Eberechi Eze after he scored the opening goal with a powerful shot from outside the box against Leverkusen at the Emirates Stadium.
The England midfielder is finally settling into the first team after learning more about Arteta’s defensive demands after his summer move from Crystal Palace.
“Honestly, he’s a horrible person,” Rice said. “There are very few players I’ve seen who hit the ball better than him, near the edge of the box, left-footed or right-footed.”
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
