Declan Rice hopes 2025 will bring trophies for Arsenal but acknowledges the challenge of catching Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
A 1-0 win over Ipswich on Friday moved Arsenal into second place, six points behind Liverpool, who also have a game in hand. Despite back-to-back second-place finishes behind Manchester City in the past two seasons, Rice is determined to see Arsenal shed their “nearly men” status in the new year.
“Hopefully the new year brings trophies – we’ve been pushing for that. To make the next step to be amongst the elite, you have to win stuff,” Rice told Amazon Prime. “We can keep winning games, but it means nothing if you don’t win anything.”
Rice acknowledged the difficulty of overtaking a Liverpool side that has lost just once in 17 league games under manager Arne Slot. “Liverpool are full throttle; they were under Klopp, and now under Slot. They don’t let anyone breathe,” he said. “We need someone to help us out so they can drop points as we can only focus on ourselves and hopefully something can happen.”
Arsenal’s hopes of mounting a serious title challenge have been further dented by a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka. The England winger is expected to be sidelined for several weeks, with concerns that he may not return before March.
“Tonight was different without him – he’s been our main man,” Rice admitted. “We’re going to have to adapt. It’s a great chance for players to step up over the coming months and make their mark.”
Reflecting on his own performances, Rice said he feels back to his best after a slow start to the season, following England’s taxing run to the Euro 2024 final. “I had a slow start after the Euros, but the last couple of weeks I’ve found my feet again and I’m feeling back to myself,” he added.
With a tough second half of the season ahead, Arsenal will need their squad to rise to the challenge as they pursue elusive silverware and aim to end Liverpool’s dominance.
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