Declan Rice has sent a message to the Arsenal fans following Sunday’s League Cup final defeat to Manchester City, insisting the team will use it as motivation.
Declan Rice would have been as disappointed as anyone else following Arsenal’s defeat to Manchester City in Sunday’s League Cup final, denying him his first silverware since his move to north London.
But the Arsenal midfielder shared a message with fans on social media after the game, thanking the supporters and showing his intent to have a positive end to the season with the Gunners.
“A final defeat doesn’t define us,” Rice wrote on Instagram. “Only makes us hungrier to go on and finish the season strong. Thank you to our amazing fans as always. See you after the break.”
Rice had shared a similar sentiment in an interview with Arsenal.com after the game, saying: “It’s very, very disappointing. Very tough. It’s a final you didn’t want to lose but ultimately today we’ve given them the two chances.
“But look, we keep going. A lot of positives to still look forward for the end of the season.
“I know how much it meant to the Arsenal fans today, you could sense that. But still now, we have three big competitions to play in. We need to stay positive, stick together and keep going because there’s a lot to play for.
“I saw the fans today, how much it meant before the game, them singing for us – I was proud today to be an Arsenal player.”
Arsenal will return after the international break with an FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton, before playing the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP, followed by a Premier League game against Bournemouth to try an extend their nine-point lead at the top.
It’s undeniably true that there’s still a lot to play for, and the players at least have the next couple of weeks to get themselves back in the right mindset ahead of the final two months of the campaign.