Declan Rice exclusive: The Arsenal midfielder discusses how a talk with Mikel Arteta enhanced his goal-scoring ability, stating, “My mindset has shifted.”

Declan Rice has opened up about a pivotal conversation with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta that has helped him tap into his goalscoring potential this season. The midfielder has emerged as a consistent attacking threat for The Gunners, having already netted eight goals in all competitions, including a strike against Bournemouth last weekend.

Four of those goals have come in the UEFA Champions League, with two standout free-kicks during Arsenal’s memorable quarter-final first leg victory over Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium. As the team prepares for their semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, Rice acknowledged that a shift in “mindset” was essential for him to find the back of the net more frequently.

“Me and the manager had this conversation,” Rice told TNT Sports. “He said to me after training a few months ago: ‘With your ability, you should be scoring and assisting way more’. I totally agree with him.”

Rice elaborated on the importance of positioning, stating, “Sometimes the ball’s wide, you’ve got to have that feel to get in the box and score the goals, and I think I’ve really started to get that. Getting in the box, making runs in behind, creating chances for others, I’m loving that part of the game.”

The midfielder reflected on his previous approach, saying, “To score and assist you’ve got to really love it and I think my mindset’s changed. Maybe in my time at West Ham, I wasn’t bothered as much about scoring and assisting. I just wanted to play well as a youngster, impress the first-teamers, stay in the team. Now I’ve come to Arsenal; last year I didn’t score a lot but this year I’ve done really well.”

Arsenal faces a significant challenge as they aim to reach their first Champions League final since 2006, currently trailing 1-0 from the first leg ahead of their visit to the Parc des Princes. Rice expressed the mixed emotions surrounding the tie, saying, “It’s a weird feeling because in the quarter-final we were 3-0 up going into the second leg. Now we’re 1-0 down, but we’re 90 minutes away from the final.”

He added, “There’s just been a confidence and a belief. There’s just been something in this Champions League campaign that we can do it and we will do it. Tomorrow night we need to have that full belief.”

Rice is confident that both teams will be attacking, stating, “We know what we can do to hurt them. Tomorrow night, I’m pretty sure you’re not going to see two teams sitting back. I think you’ll see two teams going at it. If you want to reach finals and beat teams like PSG, you need to do special things.”

The 26-year-old acknowledged that his season started slowly, attributing it to various factors, including the mental toll of returning from the Euros with a short break. “Mentally, it was really tough to adapt after such a long season, but once I found my feet again, I started to put in consistent performances and started to see the best of me again,” he said. “The last month’s been really positive, so hopefully we can finish the season strong.”

As for the upcoming clash, kick-off for PSG v Arsenal is set for 20:00 UK time on Wednesday, May 7, with live coverage on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate starting at 19:00. TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a comprehensive line-up of channels and subscription options through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.