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Declan Rice makes worrying Arsenal admission: 'I'm shattered!'
Tom Weber
- 18 Mar 2026 12:01 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has admitted that the relentless schedule is beginning to take its toll.
The England international has been one of the Gunners' standout performers this season as they have marched to the summit of the Premier League and into the Champions League quarter-finals.
On Tuesday, Rice was named Man of the Match in a 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. He has made a habit of uncompromising, all-action 90-minute displays. The midfielder is, quite simply, a physical phenom.
Current ETV
Declan Rice
M, DM (C)
Arsenal
Declan Rice
M, DM (C)
Arsenal
ETV Range
€91.1M - €111.4M
However, he is still human. Speaking after the match, the 27-year-old confessed that it's not easy to churn out performance after performance every three days. The bloated schedule of modern football is a grind.
"I'm shattered, it's non-stop," Rice admitted. "We're in all the competitions still, so it's been every three days since October. We deal with it the best we can, but it's difficult. We find ways to win and it's all good. Everyone asks where I get my energy from. I just get this second burst of energy."
How Rice keeps performing
Constantly playing on short rest doesn't leave much time for reflection, but that is perhaps for the better. Rice argues that winning games and carrying on momentum inherently gives you more energy.
"We need to be up for it," he added. "We have the momentum at the minute. Every time we play, we have the momentum and feel like we can win. When we go to Wembley [on Sunday], everyone will be behind us and we'll be ready.
"There's no time to think about what's going on, we just keep playing matches. The more you keep winning, the more the energy stays high and you enjoy it."
For an Arsenal side competing on all fronts, the season is still long. For Rice - and many of his international teammates - it's even longer, as they will have to compete at this summer's World Cup.
Rice keeps grinding, but the physical toll must surely be immense. Perhaps the ramifications will only be felt in the future when the dust has settled. His admission that he is "shattered" should certainly set off alarm bells.
For years, footballers and coaches have complained about the increasingly bloated schedule. Rather than listening to those who are the heart and soul of the game, football's decision-makers keep expanding tournaments like the World Cup and Club World Cup.
A reckoning is needed, or the game will end up breaking its players.
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