Declan Rice has sent a bold message to his Arsenal teammates and a warning to Wolves ahead of their encounter on Saturday.
Arsenal desperately need to get back to winning ways when they travel to take on Wolves in a Premier League clash on Saturday evening.
The Gunners have been on the receiving end of back-to-back defeats for the first time in 2024 in the last week.
First, the North London club surrendered control of the Premier League title race as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa.
Then, last night in Munich, Mikel Arteta’s side were knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage as they were beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
Arsenal have seen their hopes of landing silverware this season significantly diminished in recent days. They only now have the league title play for and that is no longer in their hands. The Gunners will have to win all of their remaining games, and hope that Manchester City slip up, if they are to stand any chance of being crowned champions.
Declan Rice sends out defiant message after Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Gary Neville has insisted that Arsenal are still in the Premier League title race. What matters now, though, is how Arteta’s side respond to their recent setbacks. They simply must beat Wolves at Molineux on Saturday, and could do with doing so in style in order to boost their own confidence and send out a statement of intent.
Declan Rice has now sounded a rallying cry of sorts. As quoted by the club’s official website, the midfielder spoke out in the wake of the loss to Bayern Munich, saying, “we’re a young group. There’s a lot of demand and pressure on us now to deliver and rightly so because we’re good at what we do.”
“This is Arsenal Football Club, one of the biggest clubs in the world, and we need to stand tall and be counted for. And, that now goes back to Saturday. We’ve got Wolves away, and that’s where our big reaction is going to happen.”
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Mikel Arteta needs Arsenal leaders to step up against Wolves
Rice has been a driving force on the pitch for the Gunners this season, and it is unsurprising to see him now trying to lead the club forward through this grim period. Arteta has tipped Rice to be a future Arsenal captain, and he sounded like one here.
On paper, Arsenal ought to have enough quality to overcome Wolves. It will be fascinating to what extent Arteta shakes up his starting XI as a result of the hectic recent fixture schedule. This game will also be a real test of the Gunners’ mental strength and character. Their last great hope for this campaign is on the line, and they now need to play for their lives.