Declan Rice has a nickname in the Arsenal team. He is known to his teammates as 'the horse'.
“It's positive! [Oleksandr] Zinchenko started it and then Jorginho went with it: “He tells Sky Sports.” Now everyone is starting to call me it.
“I think it's because they think I can run all day, that I am athletic, my ability to go again, my sustainability and availability for the team.
“Even two days since the last game, I walk around in training and they think I'm a crazy man. I don't mind the nickname, but I just have to maintain it.”
In general, Rice has hit a new equipment in this Arsenal team in recent weeks. After a short period of time on and out of the side, the midfielder of England was staged and reached a new level.
At that time, the 26-year-old scored his first Champions League goal against Dinamo Zagreb and was then the driving force behind Arsenal's 10-player victory against Wolves.
Then, in one of the biggest matches of the Gunners season so far, he took the player of the match before in the thumping 5-1 win over Manchester City, a match in which he received three assists.
It is a real purple patch, especially for a player who is often used as a sitting midfielder. This new equipment is also recognized by Mikel Arteta, who said Rice has an “extra bite in his game” in recent weeks.
“It's really nice to hear,” says Rice. “It was probably a slower start of the season for me that came from the back of the euros – probably because I have been so consistent in recent years. But now I get shape and full fitness at the right time.
“But I knew that I had to increase my game, my level. In the last few months I have watched many clips, sat down with analysts and see where I can improve. There has been a gradual, really good increase, so I have to do now Continue to the back of the season “
Rice speaks with Sky Sports from the launch of his new partnership with brand Celsius of Energy Drinks – of which the midfielder says he regularly feeds his performance. “Because I am a box-to-box midfielder, it is the key,” he says.
It also evokes the subject of how rice takes care of itself from the field to help him act. After all, the schedule has recently been hectic for him.
The busy Christmas period was followed by nine games in January for Arsenal, who recently ended a series of 11 games in 36 days.
In the past two years, Rice has confronted more football than most – dating from the 2022/23 season that was influenced by the Winter World Cup in Qatar.
That season also saw him play extra games in West Ham's Conference League Triumph, while Euro 2024 saw him the only outfield player in the entire tournament to play to the final every minute of the group stage.
In general, only Virgil van Dijk has played more minutes since August 2022 than the midfielder of England. And yet Rice has almost always been available. Only a small toe injury in November held him from one Arsenal competition during that two-year period.
Again, it is noticed by his club manager. Arteta recently added: “The good thing about Declan is that he is so consistent, so reliable. He is always there.”
“It's just due to the way I played the game, the way I trained and the way I have dedicated myself to the game,” says Rice. “I am 26 and already played hundreds of games.
“But I want to keep pushing on more, getting more games, wanting to be available. I don't want to sit on the couch, I don't want to miss games. I want to keep there for the next games with every available opportunities. If I can keep it going for And the games outside of it, I will be very happy. “
The reason behind this reliability is the importance of refueling, hydration and, as he describes, the way he lives “fit”.
“I never really got in that side of the game until the nutritionist in Arsenal sat me, went well and showed me how your body works, and what you have to eat and constantly drink to the top of your game he says.
“That is a very important part and now for me, with the number of games we play, it is probably the most important part. As soon as we played the games, it is how we will go again in a few days.
“It is really difficult. Every player has a different routine and lives differently. The staff of the club is the most important and keeps us going. You are often away from home – there are hotels, travel and many away games.
“There is a lot in the mind, but if you compete for things at the top of the game, it's about how much you want it. That's why I keep myself in stand and I know it's the same for my teammates, because I this year We want to achieve some really good things. “
Rice in this vein of shape can be crucial for the question of whether Arsenal reaches those goals.
The Gunners try to falter in Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, while they belong to one of the favorites for the Champions League after their strong competition phase display.
“There is still a very long way to go,” says Rice about the hope of Arsenal on the season. “The manager said the other week in a press conference, whatever happens, the only thing we can worry about is ourselves.
“But at the end of the season we will be there. We can only continue to believe in what we believe in, work on what we are working on and have full faith in the manager, players and everyone around us that we can reach great things .
“It is up to us to get that over the line. Big things are coming. We have to stay positive and continue.”
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