Declan Rice has described the schedule Arsenal had to contend with in 2025-26 as “obscene”, but he is content to continue putting his body on the line.
Rice was a key player for Mikel Arteta’s team as they ended a 22-year wait to win the Premier League title last term, as well as reaching their second Champions League final.
However, they suffered heartbreak in Europe as Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes missed from the penalty spot in a 1-1 final shoot-out defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.
Arsenal also went deep in the domestic cups, losing to Manchester City in the EFL Cup showpiece and being stunned by Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Since the end of last year’s Club World Cup, the Gunners’ 63 games played in all competitions are more than any other team from Europe’s top five leagues, ahead of Atletico Madrid on 61.
Of those 63 matches, Rice has appeared in 55 and started 49, with goalkeeper David Raya (4,620) the only player to play more minutes than his 4,456 for Arsenal in that time.
Rice was taken off as a precaution during England’s 4-2 victory over Croatia at the World Cup last Wednesday after suffering from discomfort in his hamstring, but he is expected to be involved in their upcoming matches against Ghana and Panama.
And the midfielder is content to continue playing every game, particularly if his efforts are rewarded with more silverware.
“It’s an obscene amount of games, the schedule was crazy, but what can we do about it? You can’t sit and complain,” Rice told ITV Sport.
“We have to just get on with it for the moments like I had, winning that Premier League.
“You’d play as many games as possible to have that feeling again, knowing that there’s a World Cup at the end of it as well.
“You’d put your body on the line to always be able to play. It’s a lot of games, but we’ll get our break at the end.”
After Rice attempts to help England end 60 years of hurt at the World Cup, Arsenal will open their Premier League title defence against Coventry City on August 21.
