Declan Rice: How the England midfielder embodies Arsenal’s relentlessness

Rice and Zobimendi are one of the key partnerships in Arsenal’s squad.

The duo manages the midfield, and their importance has increased with the injury of captain Martin Odegaard this season.

Both midfielders were given a rare rest in the FA Cup fifth-round win over Mansfield Town, but with fixtures approaching hard and fast, their availability will be key.

They provide a solid base in front of Arsenal’s back four, and Rice’s running power and ability to be effective on both ends of the pitch was on display again in the win over Leverkusen.

“It was massive,” Arteta said. “Him and the whole team. You just mentioned it, the team spirit.

“The way they handle every ball, the passion they show in every game is amazing. And to do that every three days at this level is very difficult.”

This sentiment was echoed by former Arsenal defender Matt Upson, who spoke on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I don’t think Declan Rice gets too much rest, he turns up in almost every game and keeps performing. It’s pretty impressive stuff, physically speaking, he’s an absolute machine,” Upson said.

Arteta’s team leads the English Premier League table by nine points, qualifies for the quarter-finals of the Champions League and reaches the same stage of the FA Cup.

Arsenal have not won a trophy for six years and have a chance to end that drought against Manchester City on Sunday in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

“We have to be ready for that,” Rice added. “We have the momentum right now.”

“Every time we play, we have momentum and we feel we can win. When we go to Wembley, everyone will be behind us and we will be ready.

“There’s no time to think about what’s going on, we just keep playing games. The more you keep winning, the more energy you have and the more fun you have.”