‘I don’t care what anyone says’… Ian Wright has made a claim about Declan Rice vs Porto

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Arsenal lost to Porto in midweek, and it’s fair to say that the Gunners didn’t turn up on the day.

The north London club weren’t at the races in the Champions League this week, and, according to Ian Wright, the tone was set from minute one.

Speaking on the Wrighty’s House Podcast, the pundit has been dissecting where this game was won and lost, and he reckons that Declan Rice’s yellow card after the first minute really affected how Arsenal could play, claiming that Rice didn’t have the freedom to read the game and intercept play as he usually would.

Declan Rice’s yellow card changed the game vs Porto

Wright spoke about the midfielder and his early booking.

“They did that to us, the dark arts kind of vibe. We tried to play how we played Declan Rice’s 70 second booking had a massive effect. I don’t care what anyone says. Simply because Declan has to try to read and intercept and that took something away from his game instantly,” Wright said.

Difficult

It’s hard to say that Rice’s yellow card cost Arsenal the game against Porto, but it certainly made life a lot more difficult.

The midfielder wasn’t able to play his natural game for the entire match, and it affected Arsenal’s rhythm massively.

Of course, yellow cards are part and parcel of football, and Rice knows how to deal with them better than most, but, at the same time, walking that tightrope for 89 minutes isn’t an easy task, especially when you’re such a combative midfield player who loves to get stuck in, break up play and use your strength to dominate your opponents.

Rice’s yellow card certainly didn’t help Arsenal in Portugal on Wednesday evening.