Declan Rice Urges Arsenal Teammates to Demand More After Fulham Defeat
Declan Rice, who recently joined Arsenal in a £105m deal from West Ham, has called on his teammates to step up and demand more from each other following their disappointing 2-1 loss to Fulham on New Year’s Eve. The defeat marked back-to-back losses for the Gunners, and Rice believes that they need to improve if they want to secure their first top-flight trophy since 2004 in the second half of the season.
Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal an early lead at Craven Cottage, but Fulham fought back and secured three points, leaving Arsenal with another defeat. Rice expressed his frustration with the team’s performance, stating that it was not good enough and that they need to do better.
“The last two results have not been what we have been setting over the course of the season,” Rice said in an interview with Sky Sports. “On the back of the draw at Liverpool, we felt we could kick on, but two defeats is a tough one to swallow.”
Rice highlighted the missed opportunities in their previous game against West Ham, where they had numerous shots and touches in the box but failed to convert them into goals. He emphasized the need for more control and demanded that the team push for more when they take the lead.
“Today when we go one up, we have to have more control. We need to demand more from each other,” Rice explained. “In this league, there is no room to mess up. It is a tough one to take.”
Despite the recent setbacks, Rice remains positive and believes that it is just a blip in the road. He stated that they do not pay attention to media speculation about Arsenal winning the league and instead focus on staying positive and resetting for the next game.
“There is a lot of media who talk and say Arsenal will win the league this year. We don’t get involved in that,” Rice said. “It is a blip in the road, but it is no time to panic. We need to stay positive.”
As Arsenal looks to bounce back from their recent defeats, Rice’s message serves as a reminder for the team to demand more from each other and strive for better performances in the upcoming matches.