Is Lucas Torreira the answer to all of Arsenal’s Problems?

Ross Barkley of Chelsea and Lucas Torreira of Arsenal battle for the ball during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on August 18, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.

(Aug. 17, 2018 - Source: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe)

Whenever something painful happens to him, my friend usually says, “I am used to painful things, I am an Arsenal fan.” He is not the only one, but many of Arsenal fans that have experienced the disappointment because of the humiliating losses, injuries and possibly inconsistent performances from players. But not all hope is lost, Arsenal has not only gotten a new manager, Unai Emery but they also signed Lucas Torreira in the summer transfer window of 2018. They say with new blood, comes new life. Is Lucas Torreira the new player that will bring revival to the Gunners?

After his splendid World Cup performance, it could not be doubted that the 22-year old would be an amazing addition to Arsenal.He was instrumental to leading the Uruguayan national team to quarter finals at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.  He was a critical component in the Los Charruas midfield, he has the ability to pass stop advances from the opponent and immediately begin attacks while also making the relevant and intelligent distributions of the ball with his mouth open to lead teammates in following the rhythm. Such traits are what the Arsenal midfield needs, as fans have often criticised it as the main driver of their losses. They have complained about sideway and sloppy passes by the likes of Xhaka and Torreira’s forward-looking yet unpredictable style seems to be what they had been yearning for since Gilberto Silva.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is challenged by Lucas Torreira of Uruguay during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Round of 16 match between Uruguay and Portugal at Fisht Stadium on June 30, 2018 in Sochi, Russia.

(June 29, 2018 - Source: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe)

Isn’t it funny that his age is also the same as the number of years that Arsene Wenger spent at Arsenal. With young age comes new passion and willingness to learn as the whole career still lies ahead of the player. With all the changes happening at Arsenal as Emery attempts to elevate the team back to its initial glory, it is imperative for a player to be willing to learn. In this Daily Cannon post, the writer complained that Arsenal players play like they do not owe any respect or honour to their fans. A young player who will need the fans’ support for quite sometime is least likely to become complacent which is something that is really needed at Arsenal.

Torreira can also fit into the 4-2-3-1 formation which is Emery’s preferred formation. He has proven that he will complement players like Granit Xhaka in the midfield. Being a good player is one thing, but being compatible with the playing style of a team makes you a perfect fit for the team. Torreira already has this formation part taken care of and we expect to see a result of this claim in the upcoming games. We have seen glimpses when he came on as a substitute against Chelsea, West Ham United and most recently at Cardiff where he assisted Alexandre Lacazette’s first goal of the season.

However, there have been concerns that he is not tall enough to compete in the Premier League which is notorious for having tall and physical players. One thing for sure, is that we cannot extend his height but we have seen that players like N’golo Kante have shown us that height is not a prerequisite to playing well. You can still excel even when your head is not far off from the ground. The same argument stands for Torreira in Arsenal.

One man can definitely not be the absolute solution to a club’s complex problems. For Arsenal’s problems to be solved, they need a systematic approach to it, but having Torreira in the team is a step towards the right direction.

“He was a critical component in the Los Charruas midfield, he has the ability to stop advances from the opponent and immediately begin attacks while also making the relevant and intelligent distributions of the ball with his mouth open to lead teammates in following the rhythm.”

— Simiso Shabangu, FirstTouch Africa

Abroad: The Batman, Aubameyang is in predatory mode

The Arsenal forward is hungry to play more games and score more goals for his new club. The UEFA cup-tied rule that impedes him to participate in the Gunners’ Europa League campaign because he played champions league football for Borussia Dortmund, is a cause for frustration for the Gabonese international. He is having a relatively strong start to life in London, scoring 3 goals in 5 matches for the club and more than eager to add to his tally.

"I am really frustrated because the rules are a bit... I don't know how to say in English but I am disappointed because I can't help my team," Aubameyang told British media.

Pierre will be watching from the stands on Thursday as Arsenal face AC Milan in a second leg match of the Europa League round of 16.

Potential Candidates To Replace Wenger

In the past weeks, many reports were coming from all angles about Arsenal and their difficult patch they were going through. Many believe that the time has passed for the long-serving manager to turn around this bad omen and build a team that can mount a title challenge once more. £8 million per year is too much an investment that yields no results as the team is not even competing in the Champions League. In this article, we take a look at the people that could be potential replacements for the manager who has served for 21 years whether they are like-for-like or disruptive managers with different philosophies to that of the dead horse.

Edie Howe of Bournemouth is the first name that comes up on our list. The young manager has proved that he has the guts to play football his own way despite the opposition he is facing. Much-like-Wenger, Howe is a very stubborn manager who does not change his style of play to suit the opponents’ tactics. He sticks to his philosophy of dominating the game in possession and this has brought some excitement to the Bournemouth faithful ever since he took charge back in 2012. It would not be a surprise if he was named as the successor to Wenger if the manager leaves this season because they see football in the same way and most likely would continue Wenger’s legacy of always trying to bring the game to the opponents.

Achievements: Championship Promotion 2013, Premier League Promotion 2015

Carlo Ancelotti is the first big name coach that has the credentials to take over at Arsenal and bring some needed change. The Italian has been around the game for quite some time and has managed some of the biggest clubs in Chelsea, AC Milan, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. His trophy-laden career makes him an attractive option for Arsenal who needs someone to motivate the already talented squad and bring them to another level. He is well known for his man-management skills with most of his former players calling him the best coach that they have ever played under. Wenger seems to lack the ability to motivate his squad which is full of internationals and has even some amazing players come into his squad and lose confidence. This could be solved by Ancelotti. Also, he is a very attack coach as well with a preferred 4-2-3-1 formation which has been Wenger’s favorite formation in the past decade or more. Ancelotti is currently out of contract at the moment and now is the time for the club to make a move for the manager who was sacked by Bayern Munich earlier in this season.  

Achievements: UEFA Champions League 2003, 2007 & 2014, FIFA Club World Cup 2007 & 2014 among others

Joachim Low is another name that has been linked to the Arsenal post and could be next in line once Wenger resigns. The current Germany coach has been one of the bravest managers to give a chance to young and inexperienced players in the major international tournaments. This has been Wenger’s strength who has developed some of the best talents almost single-handedly before selling them off to other competitive clubs. Low has not only given them a chance but has also pushed them to deliver as most recently he won the Confederations Cup with a second fiddle squad that was full of young German players. Such is the dream for an Arsenal fan to pride in winning the Premier Leagues and Champions League with players that were not bought for hundreds of millions but are still world-class and dazzle the audience every 90 minutes. Little is known about his abilities to find success at club level but his portfolio is undeniably attractive and could be a risk worth taking.

Achievements: FIFA World Cup 2014, FIFA Confederations Cup 2017

Diego Simeone is the direct opposite to the aforementioned coaches as he is more defensive minded. This is probably down to the fact that he used to play as a central defender before he became a coach. He prioritizes defense over meaningless attacks that we have seen recently from Arsenal that have amounted to nothing. Simeone does not play attractive football but has managed to build a team capable of competing with the very best of players in the world as he sits back and waits for counterattacks in matches and successfully grinds out a win. ‘Winning ugly’ could be a new term to the Arsenal faithful but it has seen many teams lift trophies in Leicester, and Chelsea during Wenger’s tenure. That mentality to fight till the end and protect their own goal is evidently lacking considering the fact that Arsenal is the team that has already conceded 41 goals which is the highest among the top 7 teams this season. Arsenal needs to find a coach that can fix that problem at the back.

Achievements: La Liga 2014, Copa del Rey 2013, UEFA Europa League 2012,  

Finally, the last two options are Arsenal legends and have not done much in terms of gaining experience to lead such a big club but are adored by the fans which gives them a chance. The first one being Thierry Henry who is currently a SkySports pundit and an assistant manager to Roberto Martinez in the Belgium national team. He is somewhat the favorite to get the post among the rest and has even confirmed that he would not turn down the chance to help Arsenal out of their misery. Could he be next to bring in instant success with little experience like his former teammate Zidane has done for Real Madrid since he took over 2 years ago?

Apart from that, there is also a former captain of the club in Patrick Vieira who has been working with players as a coach in the MLS with Etihad’s New York City. He is known to be an outspoken person who has no problem with going hard with players if they are not in check. Could he be the manager that the players need to up their game? Don’t forget to drop your comments below! 

From king of the pitch to king of a nation: George Weah

“My fellow Liberians, I deeply feel the emotion of all the nation. I measure the importance and the responsibility of the immense task which I embrace today. Change is on.” George Weah tweeted these words on the night of Thursday, 28th of December 2017 as he waltzed into history books once again but now as the first ex-football star to become president of a nation.

Yes, his story is a typical success story of “came from a humble background and then made it in life through hard work and perseverance,” but Mr. Weah is no ordinary successful man. He is idolized in the West African nation as “Mister George.”

The beginning

It all started from Clara Town slum of Monrovia, one of the poorest counties in the nation founded by freed American slaves, Liberia. George was born to William T. Weah, Snr. and Anna Quayeweah but raised mostly by his paternal grandmother. Like any other child with decent opportunities in Africa, he attended middle school at Muslim Congress and Wells Hairston in high school before but at the time, only himself knew that he was firstly a footballer before he was a student. Mister George’s football career started off quickly in the domestic leagues where he won few titles and some personal accolades including the Liberian Premier League title. Sometime during his domestic football career he had to work as a switchboard technician at Liberia Telecommunications to get by in life but his successes would soon catch the attention of Arsene Wenger. He was quickly brought to Monaco by Arsene and then the conquest began.

Football career

The story goes on, the wheels wouldn’t just come off in this man’s illustrious career, there was no stopping him. He went on to win a four major titles in France with Paris St Germain in the 1989-1995 period before moving to Italy. George Weah then bagged two Italian Serie A titles in four years with AC Milan playing alongside Roberto Baggio in the frontline. His European successes were also coupled with dominance in Africa, winning three CAF African Player of the Year titles in 1989, 1994 and 1999 and became the first and up to now, the only African player to have won the coveted Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s World Player of the Year in 1994. He is known for his strength, speed and dribbling ability. Most people remember the goal he scored at Milan against Verona where he dribbled past seven players from his own box until he scored. FIFA described him as the “precursor of the multi-functional strikers of today.” He became popularly known as King George. Mr. Weah’s decorated football career ended with short spells at Chelsea, Manchester City and finally Al-Jazira in UAE in 2003. He was voted Africa’s Player of the century by sport journalists, the same recognition that the Brazilian Pele got for South America and Johan Cruyff for Europe. But the story is only half done. He was always a patriotic, who went back home to Liberia when he won his first CAF award while he was at Monaco to celebrate with his country. Watch what happens next.

Off the pitch

He was always a person of goodwill, even though there was an incident where he broke the Portuguese, Jorge Costa’s nose in the tunnel after a Champions League match at Porto in 1996. He alleged that Jorge had made some racist comments on which he never got any witnesses. George later apologized to Costa but the Portuguese wouldn’t have any of that. He was however named FIFA Fair Player of the year that year and also became UNICEF and UN Goodwill Ambassador later. Back home, Mister George was a President of Junior professionals, a football club that required school attendance for entry. Most of the recruits have gone to play for the national team. In 2016, he partnered with Indian Entrepreneur, Nirav Tripathi in a multi-million deal that would set up global football academies to assist youth in impoverished and emerging nations.

Mr. President

In 2005, George Weah announced his intentions to run for Presidency against the Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Harvard educated, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Some people probably thought he was biting more than he could chew right there. Surprisingly he was leading the race in the first round of elections with 28.3% of the votes. He however eventually lost the presidency to Sirleaf getting 40.6% and his rival 59.4% in the second round of elections where he accused the opposition for voter intimidation and ballot tampering which was brushed aside by the African Union. He humbly took the loss. Weah was always criticized for lacking formal education to govern a nation by opposition leaders, they called him “a babe in woods.” He once replied to the critics in a statement, “With all their education and experience, they have governed this nation for hundreds of years. They have never done anything for the nation.”

After pursuing a business administration degree at DeVry University in Miami, Mister George returned home and successfully campaigned for the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) in Montserrado County senatorial by-election. In 2011, CDC unsuccessfully contested in the elections selecting Weah as the Vice-President with Winston Tubman as the presidential candidate. Three years later, Weah was elected into the Senate after overwhelmingly beating the president’s son, Robert Sirleaf. He became the first international athlete to make to represent a county in the Liberian legislature.

2017 has been the year when it all comes together outside the pitch for Mister George. He is officially the President of Liberia in historic election which saw the first democratic transition of power. He beat Vice President Joseph Boakai by getting 61.5% of the 98% votes counted with Boakai getting 38.5%.

He is the only African player to have won the FIFA World Player of the year in 1995, the Ballon d’Or in the same year and the first ex-football star to lead a nation, his is George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah and this is FirstTouch Football.