The Arsenal duo, Noni Madueke and Declan Rice, have hit back at critics following their team's recent setbacks. After a heart-wrenching penalty shootout loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, the players took to social media to express their disappointment and determination. Madueke, in particular, faced criticism for not volunteering as a penalty taker, but he addressed this in a pointed Instagram post, captioning an image of him and Rice with the Premier League trophy, 'Champions! Thank you God. The glory is yours!'. Rice, ever so playful, responded with 'Jealously everywhere' and four laughing emojis, lightening the mood. This response comes after Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence mocked up 'penitentiary' images of Arsenal players behind bars, including Bukayo Saka, during the pre-season. The banter continued throughout the season, with Spence sharing a slow-motion clip of Saka being dispossessed, captioned 'Locked up' on X (formerly Twitter). Following Arsenal's north London derby victory, Spence quoted the February post, adding nothing more than a pair of wide-open eyes and an open padlock emoji. Rice, in a statement to the fans during the victory parade, warned Arsenal's challengers, 'They laughed. They are not laughing anymore.' He expressed his love for the team and the manager, Mikel Arteta, and the joy they bring to the fans. Arteta, in his brief address, thanked the supporters for their unwavering support. Despite the recent setbacks, Rice is determined to use the moment to fuel future success, stating, 'We are going to use this moment to add fuel to the upcoming seasons. Next season we are going to go even stronger and we are going to be ready again.' This sentiment reflects the resilience and ambition of the Arsenal squad, who are eager to bounce back and reclaim their glory.
