Declan Rice tells Arsenal's latest hero that he feels the pressure right now

Arsenal Women is setting a completely new standard.
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Olivia Smith has hit the ground running since joining Arsenal from Liverpool. In her debut, she scored one of the most satisfying goals you will ever see, and a rare goal these days - a rocket with her right foot into the top left corner, leaving the London City Lionesses goalkeeper stood still.

The Arsenal Women's side is cooking right now. Under the new management of Renée Slegers, there is not a single fault in the team. The Champions League winners has started off the WSL season as they mean to go on, with two wins.

Despite Smith's impressive pedigree, there's no denying that this current Arsenal team is a difficult one to break into. Particularly in the forward line, there is quality in every position. To stand out, you have no choice but to be world-class.

The Canadian footballer was the first woman to be valued at £1 million, so that comes with an additional pressure to succeed. However, Smith quickly flipped that narrative on its head and showed that she feels no pressure, scoring an early contender for goal of the season in the first WSL game.

Declan Rice opens up to Olivia Smith about Arsenal pressure

Another player who knows what pressure a big price tag can bring is Declan Rice, Arsenal's club record signing. Speaking with Olivia Smith at the Emirates Stadium, Rice revealed that the impressive success of the women's team is putting pressure on the men's team to do the same.

In his own words, Rice said: "With the women's team, all the success you got is unbelievable. Obviously, now it's down to the men's side as well, which is a big pressure on us."

It was a refreshing admission by Declan Rice. As fans, we are guilty for thinking that the players have a stiff upper lip, and that they don't feel pressure. But the team is just eleven humans, who all want to do well to keep the media scrutiny and fan uproar away.

The truth is, Arsenal women's achievements, and being in great form at the start of this season to match, are a win for everybody at Arsenal.

However, there is pressure on the men's team. There is a growing feeling that, after all of the improvements made to the squad over the last few seasons, and coming agonizingly close many times now, this season is a must-win for Mikel Arteta and his team.


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