Rice demands improvement

DECLAN Rice demanded Arsenal must improve for tomorrow’s Premier League ‘title-defining’ match at City – as he vowed to eradicate the ‘hurt’ of his their Carabao Cup final defeat.

Arsenal and City will lock horns in a mammoth top-of-the-table clash at the Etihad Stadium this weekend with Mikel Arteta’s side guarding a six-point lead over their rivals. However, City have a game in hand. Arsenal recovered from their shock loss to book a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League following a goalless second-leg draw over Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates on Wednesday.

But the Gunners were below their best and have won just one of their last five matches.

Rice said: “There’s no beating around the bush. We have to perform better than we did against Bournemouth and you can say against Sporting as well.

“Recently, we probably have made too many errors than we have done in previous weeks. It’s about doing the basics a little bit better to a better level.

“The Etihad is the ultimate test – but it’s why we play this game. So, bring it on. I can’t wait. It’s why we play the game.

“It comes down to if you’re going to be ready and how much you want it.”