Rice said Arsenal win and lose together, defended Gabriel and Eberechi Eze after their misses, and insisted the squad will keep building.
Declan Rice has said Arsenal must keep in perspective an “incredible” season after their Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, insisting the pain of losing on penalties should not obscure how far Mikel Arteta’s side have come.
Arsenal were beaten in a shootout after a tense final against PSG, with Rice describing the feeling as “devastating” but stressing that the squad had given everything across a 65-game season.
Gabriel and Eberechi Eze both missed in the shootout, but Rice made clear there would be no blame attached to either player. Arsenal, he said, win together and lose together, and he reminded everyone watching that both had been central to the success that brought the league title back to north London.
Rice was also asked about the late non-penalty incident involving Nuno Mendes, with Arsenal believing they should have had a spot kick of their own. Rice said he had not seen it back, but his first impression on the pitch was that Noni Madueke was ahead of Mendes, and he compared it to the penalty Arsenal got against Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal’s approach against PSG was also defended. Rice felt they had to be disciplined rather than play into the French side’s hands by opening the game up, as Bayern had done previously. He believed Arsenal grew into the match, created good chances and largely restricted PSG.
He also reflected on Arteta’s message in the dressing room after the match. The mood was, of course, one of deep disappointment after the defeat, but also pride in the progress made by the squad, especially this season.
Since Rice joined, Arsenal have gone from a Champions League quarter-final exit to a semi-final and now a final, while also getting over the line in the Premier League.
That title remains the defining achievement of the season, but Rice made clear the group do not see this as the end. The Champions League final was another step, even if it ended painfully. Arsenal wanted the double and did not get it, but the midfielder’s response was to look at the direction of travel rather than this game alone.
Arsenal have come a long way, and they intend to keep going.
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