Rice names Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City as Arsenal's title rivals
Declan Rice has laid out exactly who he believes Arsenal are up against in the Premier League title race, and it is not the team that beat them earlier this season.
Arsenal moved top of the table for the first time since their defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion after a 1-0 win at Anfield against Liverpool. Manchester City's recent slump, having lost their last two matches, has also helped Arsenal open up a three point gap at the summit, with Brighton two points further back in third.
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Despite the Seagulls being the only side to beat Arsenal in the league this season, Rice did not mention them when discussing the clubs he sees as genuine title challengers. Chelsea sit three points behind Brighton, with Liverpool a further point back in fifth, even though Chelsea and Liverpool are the two teams who have beaten Fabian Hurzeler's Brighton side this term.
Rice on Arsenal's resilience at Anfield
Speaking after the win over Liverpool, Rice spoke at length about what it took to come away from Anfield with three points. “I think any team who has won here in the past has never had it easy,” he said. “It's always going to be tough coming to Anfield, so we had to dig in; we had to give it everything because they throw so many attacks at you. We had to be resilient and strong.”
He credited the environment Mikel Arteta has built at the club for performances like this. “It's just drilled into us what this manager has built at this club and the togetherness of the lads. You don't get that performance without the lads being all together. The way the manager has everything under control, the way everyone works towards everything he wants, is not like anything I've ever seen before, so credit to us for what we have been doing for the last few years.”
Rice identifies the title rivals
Rice went on to specifically name the teams he expects Arsenal to be fighting at the top end of the table. “I've learned in this league November means nothing. You have to win as much as you can, and in February or March, if you are there or thereabouts, you are in with a chance,” he said. “Look at Liverpool. They have secretly gone under the radar; their attack is incredible, and the defence is really good. Man City have started really strong, Chelsea are there or thereabouts, so just keep winning and take each game as it comes and see where it takes us.”
He also pointed to the kind of grinding performances Arsenal will need throughout the campaign. “What I've learned in this league is that every game is different; no game is plain sailing. It is always going to be tough. Looking back at that [Nottingham] Forest game, it wasn't the best performance, but we ground it out, and we won, and there's going to be more of that this season. But results like this just make it that extra bit special, so we are delighted.”
With Arsenal now top of the table heading into the heart of the season, Rice's comments suggest the squad are braced for a long, competitive fight involving several of the league's heavyweights rather than a two horse race.
