Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was quick to tell his team-mates that the Premier League title race isn’t done despite losing to Manchester City – and it’s now been seen by Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola says he ‘loves’ the message Declan Rice was seen relaying to his Arsenal team-mates on the pitch immediately after their damaging defeat against title rivals Manchester City.
The England midfielder could be seen telling team-mates the title race is “not done” despite failing to make the most of an opportunity to kill off City with a win. Instead, Guardiola’s side are three points behind Arsenal and could even usurp them on Wednesday night if they win their game in hand against Burnley, who are mired in the relegation zone.
Asked about Rice’s comments, Guardiola waxed lyrical about the mentality of the midfielder and his team-mates as they and Manchester City gear up for an all-out sprint to the finish.
“I love that. I love that. That’s why Arsenal is there,” the City boss told Sky Sports.
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“I saw it [on Monday] and it shows what Declan Rice means. That’s the Arsenal mentality, we’ve faced it in the Premier League these [past] seasons and in the Carabao Cup, how competitive they are.
“Otherwise they can’t have done the season they have done in the Premier League being there and being unbeaten in the Champions League, as you have Mikel [Arteta] but also these type of players that follow the message.
“And in the bad moments, they have the resilience [to say] we are there, we are there. That is a good example for us what we’re going to face in the six games, five games [for them] in the title race.”
Arsenal and Manchester City will be level on points if the latter defeat Burnley on Wednesday night, meaning it is still all to play for. The Gunners are seeking a first league title since 2004, while City are out to clinch a fifth domestic crown in six years.
When he was then asked if he has shown his players the video clip of Rice saying ‘it’s not done’, Guardiola replied: “They know exactly what opponents we’re going to face in the five games for them, six for us.
“If people think because we beat them, the title race is done, Declan Rice showed us that they are there.”
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