I saw 25-year-old Arsenal player prove he’s in the wrong position against Porto last night

Add as preferred source on Google

Although it was stressful, last night’s victory against FC Porto will live long in the memory of every person and player associated with Arsenal.

Porto proved to be a horrible stylistic match up for Mikel Arteta’s team, who were doing everything in their power to forge a comeback.

Fortunately, Martin Odegaard delivered a moment of pure brilliance when setting up Leandro Trossard late in the first half. 

And although Arteta’s side weren’t then able to add a second, they did have the mental fortitude to win the game on penalties.

It was a seismic night at the Emirates, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the stadium was still rocking today.

That being said, when we reflect on last night’s 120 minutes, perhaps one Arsenal player proved where his long-term positional future lies against Porto.

Arteta got his team selection spot on, however, when Declan Rice moved to the pivot, he suddenly gave Arsenal so much more control and looked at his best.

Jorginho wasn’t having a bad game by any means, but Rice proved his worth as a truly world class number six once again.

Declan Rice proved his Arsenal future is as a number six against Porto last night

I think we’ve all thoroughly enjoyed this experimentation of Rice playing at the number eight role, and he probably will frequently play in the position before the season ends.

But once Arsenal sign a player who can make that number eight spot their own, Rice should definitely return to the pivot.

It would be a shame to curtail all this attacking prowess Rice is showing, but he’s simply too good as a defensive midfielder to play him elsewhere.

Rice is a good left central midfielder, but he’s world class in the pivot.

The England international probably will be enjoying this experience higher up the field, and it will definitely stand him well in the long run, but his future is as a defensive midfielder with an elite passing profile next to him.

Personally I still think Frenkie de Jong is the perfect player to add to this Arsenal midfield, but it remains to be seen if there is any possibility of tempting him away from Barcelona.

But all said and done, Arsenal were brilliant against Porto last night, and Arteta and his team should be proud.

And whilst Rice should thrive in the pivot on a long-term basis, it certainly wasn’t a mistake to play him on the left last night.