Declan Rice shares confusing Bukayo Saka advice ahead of Tottenham vs Arsenal
Just in case he wasn’t sure what to do when he plays Tottenham this weekend, Declan Rice has been given some instructions from his Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka.
Spurs go into the North London Derby this weekend still searching for their first league win of 2026, and there would be no sweeter time to get it than now.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are still top of the table but Man City are chasing them down hard. A lot of pundits still believe the Gunners will get the win on Sunday, but even Paul Merson is nervous about Arsenal’s chances.
Between the bragging rights on offer and the incentive of crucial points in their very different quests this season, it’s safe to say both sides are desperate to avoid defeat in this game.
What Bukayo Saka said about Tottenham
Ahead of the game, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has recalled what his colleague, Bukayo Saka told him when he first joined the club.
He said: “I remember Saka saying: ‘You can’t lose derbies here to Spurs’. For the fan base, everyone, the players, the staff – that’s the game you can’t lose.”
This is a game that doesn’t need any hyping up, really. Still Mikel Arteta’s warning to Spurs has not gone unnoticed, and Rice completely understands how big of an occasion this is for both teams.
On the idea of getting a win this weekend, he added: “It would be massive. I was suspended for the last North London Derby [at Tottenham]. I’ve only played in one at Tottenham and all the rest have come at the Emirates.
“It’s fiery. My first experience of the one [at Spurs] was… that was a lot. We were 3-0 up and they got back to 3-2. And you’re thinking: ‘Oh, where can this go here?’ But just the crowd, the energy, you can just sense it. It’s different on a North London Derby day.
“We’ve done quite well in them in recent years, so we’ve got to keep going. But it’s going to be a tough game because they’re going to want to beat us after the last time we played them. They didn’t really have a fully fit squad. I’m sure they’re going to be ready, raring to go, so we’re going to be up for it.”
Spurs have defeated Saka plenty of times
Saka’s comments are interesting, not least of all because he has failed to follow his own advice on a number of occasions.
While Arsenal have the edge over Tottenham in the overall head-to-head record between the two clubs, it’s worth noting Spurs went on a run of seven games without losing to the Gunners not so long ago.
During that time, Saka was involved in three defeats against Tottenham. Granted, he’s now got seven wins over the Lilywhites, but his warning to Rice would be a lot more meaningful if he had a perfect record to defend.
More confusing still is the fact that Rice, born and raised in the Chelsea academy before playing for West Ham, wasn’t already acutely aware of how important the North London Derby is.
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