{"id":2964,"date":"2026-05-01T21:09:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T21:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=2964"},"modified":"2026-05-01T21:09:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T21:09:52","slug":"arteta-on-hunger-rices-form-and-eze-press-conference-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=2964","title":{"rendered":"Arteta on hunger, Rice’s form and Eze | Press conference | News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Mikel Arteta said he only sees hunger in his team as we prepare to take on Fulham in a big fixture at Emirates Stadium.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Off the back of our draw in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid, it’s a quick turnaround to face the Cottagers in N5.<\/p>\n

The boss knows his players are ready to go and is confident we have enough fuel in the tank to go again this weekend.<\/p>\n

He said: “Hunger, hunger to win, that\u2019s it. To compete, to prepare and to achieve the goal that we set at the start of the season. <\/p>\n

“I think we have enough fuel in the tank; we\u2019re playing to win the Premier League, and it\u2019s exactly where we want to be. Four games to go, it\u2019s game two, I\u2019m ready to go.<\/p>\n

“I would put the emphasis on showing that desire, that determination, that hunger, that will that we\u2019ve shown all season and even more because we have only four games to play now and everything is at stake so it doesn\u2019t get better than that.”<\/p>\n

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\n Read more<\/span> <\/p>\n

Help Eze win Premier League Goal of the Month! <\/span>
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Declan Rice showcased his skills yet again during our midweek draw in the Spanish capital, and Mikel was quick to praise our number 41 after bringing up a 50 appearances for the campaign.<\/p>\n

“What Declan is doing again is incredible. To play the amount of games, minutes with the quality that he’s shown in every game is something extremely difficult to do, and he’s doing it, not only this season, but the last few seasons that he’s been with us, and to show that level of consistency is extremely rare because the demands and the standards are very, very high.”<\/p>\n

The form of Ebere Eze also came under the spotlight in Mikel’s pre-match press conference, during which the boss highlighted his calmness on the pitch in the big moments.<\/p>\n

“I think it’s part of his character,” he said. “He has a unique way of expressing himself. “What he actually transmits to the world outside is such security, calmness and composure in every situation on the field.<\/p>\n

“I think that’s something special. I think we need players like that, we need players that can have a different kind of presence on the pitch and body language, and Ebs brings something else that I think is unique and very powerful for the team.”<\/p>\n

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\n Read more<\/span> <\/p>\n

Every word from Mikel Arteta’s pre-Fulham presser <\/span>
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Copyright 2026 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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