Mikel Arteta responds to concerns over 'exhausted' Arsenal star after Slavia Prague win

Mikel Arteta defended his decision to play Declan Rice for 90 minutes against Slavia Prague (Shutterstock)

Mikel Arteta has played down concerns over Declan Rice’s fitness after Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

First-half goals from Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres gave Arsenal a commanding lead but Arsenal struggled in the second half and Slavia Prague deservedly pulled a goal back through Wiktor Nowak in the 90th minute.

Rice completed a full 90 minutes in Prague but the 27-year-old showed clear signs of tiredness in the second half.

‘Declan Rice is by far the best midfielder in the country, for me,’ former Arsenal and England Women’s midfielder Karen Carney told TNT Sports after Arsenal’s win.

‘When he’s tired and fatigued they are a different team, and when he’s not in it.

‘In the second half he looked absolutely exhausted and then that’s, for me, when Arsenal are a different team and they kind of lose their way a little bit.

Declan Rice ‘looked absolutely exhausted’ against Slavia Prague, says Karen Carney (Reuters)

‘So that’s something I’m a little bit concerned about because he’s a top player but when his energy goes I think they slightly fall apart a bit.’

But when asked about the decision to play Rice for a full 90 minutes against Slavia Prague, Arteta said: ‘The game required it, and he did.

‘He was as well rested against Fleetwood so he had a very good week to recover before Liverpool.

‘It’s his second game in a week and not the fifth one. We expect our players to be able to do that and I think he had some very good moments throughout the game.’