Arsenal legend critical of veteran Real Madrid star – ‘It was too much for him’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid were dealt a major blow in their Champions League hopes as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal.

The Spanish giants were completely outperformed in a night where Declan Rice scored two goals from free-kicks, effectively helping Arsenal secure a comprehensive victory.

The 3-0 defeat to Arsenal evoked reaction from many football pundits across the globe, including Thierry Henry.

Henry’s take on Real Madrid midfield

Analysing the game on CBS Sports, Henry pointed out that Arsenal were simply the better side and won the game in midfield, where they showcased more physicality.

“In the first half you didn’t know where the game was going. The goalkeepers made one or two good saves each,” he began (h/t SPORT).

The former Arsenal and Barça forward went on to point out how Luka Modric, in particular, looked out of sorts in the middle of the park.

Luka Modric was far from his usual best against Arsenal (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

“It was seen in the balance of Madrid in the midfield, the space between the midfield and defence, especially having Modric there: it was too much for him,” he said.

“Declan (Rice) was playing in the middle, doing his drives, and those of Madrid seemed very static. This is the reason why Camavinga got angry in the end. We saw him with a yellow card making fouls everywhere, covering everyone,” he added.

Few can blame Henry’s observations as the Real Madrid midfielders did indeed have a tough time dealing with their Arsenal counteparts.

Modric, who was given the nod in midfield, was tasked with the responsibility of controlling the tempo of the game. But he had a hard dealing with Arsenal’s second line of press.

Finally, Henry added that Arsenal were physically too overpowering and had ‘more meat’.

“It has been seen that Arsenal was more physically involved today. It looked like a different midfield, it seemed that Arsenal had “more meat” there if you can say so. That for me was the key: Madrid’s balance sheet was not good,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid has put immense pressure on Carlo Ancelotti, whose continuity is ‘almost impossible’ following back to back defeats.