Declan Rice believes that Arsenal won’t change the way they play against anyone ahead of their semi-final clash with PSG on Wednesday night.
The Arsenal midfielder was the star of the show in the quarter-final, scoring two stunning free-kicks against the reigning champions Real Madrid, but faced a completely different challenge trying to combat the trio of Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves without his partner Thomas Partey last week.
“I think nothing changes to be honest. It’s a semi-final, it’s 90 minutes away from a final, that tells you everything you need to know,” Rice said.
“The manager spoke to us. As a group of players, we know what we can achieve tomorrow night, and it’s a game of football.
“We can go out there and we can achieve something great for this club, and that’s what we want to do. We obviously know we’re one goal down, but we have full belief, full positivity that we’re going to go out there and win tomorrow night.”
Asked if anything will change from the first leg, Rice responded: “We're not going to change the way we play for anyone. We have a way of playing the way the manager wants to set up and go. If he says that's the way we want to play, we're not going to go out there and do the opposite.
“We're going to do exactly what he wants us to do. I think tomorrow night, no way we're just going to go out there and sit back. We're here to win the game, we're here to make a statement, and like I said, we want to get to the final. So we need to be ready to go and do that.”
The return of Partey from suspension means that Rice will be given the license to advance into the eight role that he has flourished in throughout this season.
The England international’s goal contributions have shot up to 18 in all competitions as a result of being allowed to roam forward into more attacking positions.
“I’m really enjoying it. This season, I’ve played the majority of games at number eight, obviously playing with Thomas. It’s allowed me to be in that box-to-box role, and I thoroughly enjoy it. It gives me a bit more freedom around the pitch and to get in the box. I’m also doing my defensive duties as well. I’m quite lucky that Thomas is there, he sits in front of the back four and he lets me roam up and down.”
While there were claims that Arsenal were succumbing to the pressure of being in a Champions League semi-final, Rice seemed adamant that ‘tomorrow night is just another game’ for the Gunners.
Citing his experience winning the UEFA Conference League with West Ham in 2023, Rice believes that he can put the pressure to the side and enjoy the test that faces them.
“I’ve played so many games of football now. I’ve been playing professionally since I was 18. Tomorrow night is just another game,” the 26-year-old repeated.
*“It’s the semi-final of the Champions League. I don’t put too much pressure on myself. It’s us vs them. We obviously know what we have to do to get to the final. I’ve played in semi-finals before, and I was required to get to the final. Hopefully, tomorrow night, as a group, we can pull through and we can achieve something really, really good and make it a really special night for the club.”*
The former West Ham midfielder also acknowledged the challenge that Luis Enrique and his team have posed heading into the second leg, providing for a fascinating tactical battle between the two Spaniards in both dugouts.
*“I think with the manager, Luis Enrique, he's really good tactically. Our manager is really good tactically. You felt that in the first leg, there was a lot of movement in midfield. They run around so much and create a lot of space for each other. The way they move between the lines was really, really smart.*
“But once we worked out how we could beat them, obviously we missed a few chances, but in terms of how we were driving with the ball, giving our wingers one-on-one opportunities, chances started to open up.
“I think tomorrow night we need to do the same. We need to have big balls and we need to go out there on the biggest stage and show that we're ready to play at this level,” Rice asserted.