Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes slipped away once again this season, but one of their leaders believes they now understand exactly what it takes to go all the way.
The Gunners came closest to challenging Arne Slot for the title but Liverpool ended up running away with the league, ultimately winning it by a 15-point margin.
Mikel Arteta does not seem to take defeats well, as he initially undermined their success. However, in the buildup to the game, the Spaniard congratulated the Reds and confirmed Arsenal will give Liverpool the guard of honour.
Having come close to winning the league thrice in a row now, Declan Rice has now opened up about what they must change next season to finally lift the Premier League trophy.
Declan Rice on how Arsenal can win next season
The impact of injuries on Arsenal’s title run has been widely discussed — and while Declan Rice was quick to insist it’s not an excuse, he stressed that squad fitness and availability are crucial to competing at the highest level.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Rice outlined just how important staying injury-free is for a serious title challenge: “Look, it’s not an excuse but if you take your best four or five players out of any team in the world and still try to compete, be in the semi-final of the Champions League, be second in the Premier League, not a lot of teams would be able to do it, you know, losing your best five players.
“And, you know, we’ve really had to put that to the side and go out there as a group, whoever’s been fit, and try and deliver the best we can. And we have really really maximised ourselves in terms of the players we’ve had available.
“But I think yeah, the main thing is availability you know needing everyone fit, needing everyone available, needing your strongest squad of 20 to compete in every competition.”
“You know that’s how Man City and Liverpool have been able to compete because they’ve had their best players available.
“They’ve had amazing players in every position. They’re able to push each other to make it competitive and yeah, I think next season going into that I think we need to make sure that we’re all way more available as a group and that we can have our strongest 11 out there to compete at all times.”
Arsenal’s season marred with injuries
There is no doubt about the fact that the Gunners had a tough time with injuries this season.
The likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Ben White have been sidelined for extended periods, missing a big chunk of games.
While Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes and Takehiro Tomiyasu have all suffered season-ending injuries.
| Player | Games Missed |
| Takehiro Tomiyasu | 54 |
| Gabriel Jesus | 29 |
| Kai Havertz | 23 |
| Bukayo Saka | 22 |
| Ben White | 27 |
| Martin Odegaard | 15 |
| Gabriel Magalhaes | 17 |
| Gabriel Martinelli | 4 |
| Riccardo Calafiori | 26 |
| Jurrien Timber | 13 |
| Kieran Tierney | 18 |
One of Andrea Berta’s top priorities this summer will be to strengthen the squad’s depth to ensure Arsenal can compete on all fronts.
Arsenal have agreed a deal for Martin Zubimendi to bolster the midfield and as per the latest reports, the Gunners have made a bid for Viktor Gyokeres.
Having come so close to silverware, there’s a real belief within the squad that next season could be their breakthrough, and signings like Zubimendi and Gyokeres could help turn that ambition into reality.
