Pep Guardiola has reacted after Declan Rice issued a defiant message to his Arsenal teammates on the pitch after their defeat to Manchester City.
Arsenal went into the match at the Etihad Stadium knowing a win, or even a draw, would give them a huge advantage over their rivals in the Premier League title race.
However, the Gunners weren’t able to get the result they wanted as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against Guardiola’s side. The result saw City move three points behind Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League, with a game-in-hand.
Cameras captured Rice, considered one of the best midfielders in the world, shouting three words to his teammates on the pitch after the match. “It’s not done!” He was seen saying to Martin Odegaard, despite the switch in momentum at the top.
Pep Guardiola Gives Thoughts on Rice’s Defiant Message
Guardiola was full of praise for Rice when asked to give his thoughts on his comments. He told Sky Sports: “I love that. I love that. That’s why Arsenal is there.
“I saw it [on Monday] and it shows what Declan Rice means. That’s the Arsenal mentality, we’ve faced it in the Premier League these [past] seasons and in the Carabao Cup, how competitive they are.
“Otherwise they can’t have done the season they have done in the Premier League being there and being unbeaten in the Champions League, as you have Mikel [Arteta] but also these type of players that follow the message.
“And in the bad moments, they have the resilience [to say] we are there, we are there. That is a good example for us what we’re going to face in the six games, five games [for them] in the title race.”
Asked if he’d shown his players the video clip of Rice saying ‘it’s not done’, Guardiola replied: “They know exactly what opponents we’re going to face in the five games for them, six for us. If people think because we beat them, the title race is done, Declan Rice showed us that they are there.”
Guardiola’s reaction has gone viral, with some fans saying on X that his comments were ‘mind-games’, while others branded him a ‘troll’.