Declan Rice Ready for Another Gruelling Season at Arsenal
Declan Rice has brushed aside any worries about burnout at Arsenal, insisting his body – and his hunger – can handle another relentless campaign after a gruelling year for club and country.
The midfielder came off the back of a marathon 69-game season that only ended with England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals. He looked heavy-legged at times for the Three Lions, having already driven Arsenal to the Champions League final, but a proper break has reset him. He sounds ready to go again.
“For the last six seasons, even since my West Ham days when it was in Europe, I've played 60 plus every season,” Rice said. “So I think it is sustainable because I've shown that I can do it.”
That’s the crux of it for him. Volume is not the problem. Standards are.
“It's just about maintaining it, maintaining the level and the consistency of the performances,” he continued. “For me, that's the main thing, showing up every week, giving a good account of myself and helping the team win. I've been lucky enough to be able to do that. So I'm really hungry to be able to do that again this season.”
Rice is already back in stride. Arsenal opened the league phase of their Champions League campaign with a tight 1-0 win over Napoli, settled by a Martin Odegaard strike, and the England international again patrolled midfield with authority.
More importantly for him, he feels free of the nagging issue that shadowed him through the summer under Thomas Tuchel in the United States.
“Yes, it was tough,” Rice admitted when asked about his World Cup fitness troubles. “I think everyone knew I had an issue with a neural hamstring. But also on the top of the Premier League season, which was so demanding, the Champions League, to then play a World Cup in that heat really does take its toll. I'm a player that goes on the pitch, wants to be fresh and give 100 per cent every time I put on an England shirt.”
The schedule bit hard. So did illness.
“And yes, there were stages where I felt really, really good and stages where I didn't feel I was good. And obviously I had the illness going into the Norway game, which didn't really help. So there were a few things that frustrated me, just with myself, just not feeling 100 per cent. But there were games where I felt really good, like Congo. So it's one of those things I just had to manage. And like I said, in the summer, I just took a complete time off.”
That full switch-off has left him refreshed, defiant and ready to carry Arsenal’s midfield burden all over again. The question now is not whether Rice can live with another 60-game slog – it’s how far that durability can drive this Arsenal side in the months ahead.
