Declan Rice has now revealed the bizarre dietary instruction given to players by the Arsenal nutritionist this season.
Diet and nutrition are a huge part of the modern game.
Arsenal players, like all other elite athletes, are expected to maintain a professional standard when it comes to protecting and maintaining their health and fitness in their own time.
The club will monitor players’ weight, cardio fitness, and well-being throughout the campaign. However, the North London club are apparently willing to take an unconventional approach to certain aspects of players’ diets.
Mikel Arteta’s tactical approach to the game demands a high level of fitness and stamina. The Gunners press and defend as a team, work hard to keep their defensive shape when possession is lost, and are expected to sprint back towards their own goal if an opposition side launches a counter-attack.
This requires huge energy levels. With this in mind, Declan Rice has now opened up about some advice he received from the club’s nutritionist when it comes to ensuring that his body has the fuel it needs to get through a game.
Declan Rice discusses strange Arsenal dietary habit
In a recent interview with Men’s Health, the 25-year-old midfielder was asked what he eats before a match. Rice said: “I have four pancakes before a game. Covered in syrup or honey. I swear to god, it’s the best thing – it has changed this season.
The England star went on to explain that he used to habitually eat fish and rice before a match, before the Arsenal nutritionist told him: “‘You need to stop eating this.’ He told me to trust him and to start eating pancakes. They’re just normal pancakes.”
Rice is not alone in having been given the same advice. He said: “When I joined the club, I could see the players eating them and thought to myself, “What is going on here?” But honestly, it’s been a game changer.
“I don’t understand the science behind it, what’s in them or anything like that, but it gives me such a high energy boost. I think that’s why I’m able to rattle around the pitch so much.
“It’s actually getting out of hand. If we’re playing at 5.30pm, I’ll sometimes have eight pancakes in a day. I’ll have some at breakfast and I’ll have some more at 3.30pm before we play.”
Mikel Arteta demands high energy levels of Declan Rice and his Arsenal teammates
Rice has demonstrated his remarkable stamina consistently this season. The England star is expected to have an impact at both ends of the pitch. He is one of the best ball-winners and defensive-midfielders in the Premier League, but has shown this season that he can have an impact in the final third too.
The former West Ham United man racked up seven goals and ten assists this season, across all competitions. Arteta encouraged Rice to take up a more advanced role, and it clearly paid off. However, Rice needs a great engine, and to have complete faith in his own stamina and physicality, in order to pull this off.
Rice is not the only player in Arteta’s squad with such attributes either. Martin Odegaard has been described as a “perfect” Arsenal captain due to his work-rate, relentless running, and commitment to defending from the front. Presumably the Norwegian playmaker is on the pancakes too.