Rice calls for Arsenal reaction against Bayern Munich | OneFootball

Arsenal’s momentum came to a screeching halt with a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday.

The loss not only dents their Premier League title ambitions but casts a shadow over their upcoming Champions League quarterfinal clash against Bayern Munich.

Star midfielder Declan Rice has called for a strong reaction, but can Arsenal regain their form and overcome these back-to-back challenges?

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice isn’t letting the disappointing loss against Aston Villa derail the team’s focus. Instead, he’s calling on his teammates to channel their frustration into a strong performance against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

The 2-0 defeat to Villa has knocked Arsenal off the top of the Premier League table, but they’re still within striking distance of regaining the lead. With a chance to reach the Champions League semi-finals, Rice knows there’s still plenty to fight for this season.

“We’re gutted and disappointed we’ve lost a massive game but, it’s time for a reaction,” Rice said after the match. “We’ve been on such an amazing run since January, won so many football matches, and got ourselves back into an unbelievable position after being written off at Christmas.”

Rice believes the team’s focus needs to shift immediately: “Now that reaction starts in the Champions League against Bayern, so we’ll be ready for that. We have to park this to the side now. It’s gone, it’s a game of football. We’ve lost but we need to bounce back, that’s for sure.

“It’s a great chance for us to get into a Champions League semi-final. Going to the Allianz Arena, it’s going to be a special night. It’s time to pull our socks up and show everyone why we’re in this position.”

He’s also not giving up on the Premier League title race: “It’s not over yet, there’s six games to go. We’re in an unbelievable position, two points behind. We’re still ready, we’re still fully focused on what we want to do and what we can achieve. There’s going to be many more twists and turns in the Premier League, I think you can see that with the other results today. Anything can happen and we’ll stay positive.”

Rice acknowledges Arsenal’s inability to capitalise on chances in the first half against Villa ultimately cost them points. He emphasises the importance of being clinical against top opponents.

“When you create that many chances and have that many one-on-ones with the keeper or you get to the byline and you don’t quite get the cross, or don’t quite get the finish it’s very disappointing,” Rice said. “We’ve got to be taking one of those chances because in games like this, teams like Villa have got quality and can come back to haunt you and they did today.

“I think in the first half they gave us so much space, then second half they adapted to that. They closed everything up, and where we were having our success in the first half, they shut down completely. We didn’t have enough attempts on goal in the second half, that’s for sure, in a game where we should be winning.”