Arsenal star Declan Rice was far from happy with Fabio Vieira last night as the Gunners suffered a 2-1 defeat to RC Lens in the Champions League.
Mikel Arteta named a very strong line-up at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Arsenal had plenty of chances to kill the game, but they missed numerous golden opportunities. To make things worse, Bukayo Saka limped off with an injury and was replaced by Vieira on the right wing.
Declan Rice was frustrated with Arsenal star Fabio Vieira
Arsenal's main attacking threat usually comes from Bukayo Saka on the right wing.
The Englishman is one of the best players of his age in Europe, and when he is in full flow, opposition defenders find it extremely difficult to stop him.
Arsenal were dealt a huge blow last night when Saka went down with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. He was withdrawn immediately and Fabio Vieira was sent on in his place.
The Portuguese midfielder joined the Gunners for £34 million last year (Sky Sports). He is a fantastic player and is capable of great things on the pitch, but the one thing he can't do is offer the explosive pace that Saka does.
That handicapped Arsenal on the right flank last night, and on one occasion, a misunderstanding between himself and Declan Rice really annoyed the latter.
Football London report that Rice was 'crying out for the midfielder to come closer to him to receive the ball' but instead of doing that, Vieira stood far away and asked the Englishman to play it long and in behind.
Rice chose not to and moved the ball in the opposite direction. He then angrily turned around with his 'arms outstretched and bemoaning the lack of understanding' from the Portuguese midfielder.
Vieira is not a winger
Fabio Vieira is someone who can play out wide, but that doesn't make him a natural winger.
The 23-year-old is a brilliant player with the ball at his feet. He's good in tight spots, has fantastic vision and as he has already shown, he is a threat from distance.
As a winger, Vieira's qualities become very limited. He cuts inside almost every time he gets the ball, which makes him very predictable and thus easy to defend against.
Arteta should've just deployed Reiss Nelson on the right flank last night after Saka hobbled off with an injury.
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