Doubtful Premier League Champion, Declan Rice Remains Optimistic Arsenal Holds Fasting

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice. (arsenal.com)

JAKARTA - Arsenal had become a favorite, but now they are doubtful of being able to win the Premier League title. But midfielder Declan Rice remains optimistic that Arsenal will finish the title fast.

Losing 2-0 at home to Aston Villa at the Emirates made Arsenal begin to doubt winning the title. The result made Arsenal stuck in second place with 71 points. Two points adrift with Manchester City who rose to the top of the standings.

Arsenal are no longer favorites after losing through two goals to Leon Bailey and Total Watkins. Moreover, the Gunners are still playing three games not easy from the last six matches.

Arsenal will host Chelsea in a duel between London teams and then visit Tottenham Hostpur headquarters at The North London Derby.

Finally, Arsenal face a opponent who must still be reckoned with, Manchester United, at Old Trafford. Obviously, Mikel Arteta's team played a tough match and it was not easy to get points.

On the other hand, Liverpool only meet tough opponents of Tottenham at Anfield. Previously, The Red traveled to his neighbor, Everton, in The Merseyside Derby. There are two tough matches that Liverpool must play before ending the competition.

Man City faced a very different situation. They face lightly opponents. At most, Tottenham is the serious opponent of The Cityzens.

This makes Man City the favorite to defend the league title as well as set a record four consecutive wins. Man City is considered the most consistent and able to overcome the pressure as it enters crucial weeks.

The players have also been mentally tested when facing competition at the end of the competition like when Man City competed with Liverpool or Arsenal last season.

Meanwhile, manager Pep Guardiola likes to make contradictory statements. When the team was said to be in a big problem due to player injuries, they instead slaughtered Luton Town 5-1.

Likewise, when they revealed Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish's injuries, it turned out that they were already on the bench and were ready to be taken down.

Likewise, when he mentioned there was a crisis in the back sector, but centre-back Kyle Walker had already sat on the bench against Luton. Walker is also believed to be playing against Real Madrid in the second match of the Champions League quarter-finals.

However, Rice remains optimistic that Arsenal's chances of winning the Premier League remain open. According to him, the fight for the title is not over yet.

"The fight is not over yet. Frankly, we are in a position that seems hard to believe. We are always ready and focused on what is our target," Rice said.

"Everything is still possible in the Premier League. We still think positively. There are still six more games and we will give everything. Good things can still happen. We just need to focus," he said.

Last season, Arsenal, who led the standings, finally failed to become champions after losing 4-1 against Man City.

The defeat resulted in the position of both teams. Man City then took the throne in the standings without being chased by Arsenal.

Arsenal actually had a good record in meeting the Cityzens this season. They won 1-0 at the Emirates and then drew 0-0 at home to Man City.