NEWS
A selection of FirstTouch's best football writing, brought to you by emerging journalists, collaborators, and fans.
Is Lucas Torreira the answer to all of Arsenal’s Problems?
They have fallen to defeat at the hands of Chelsea and Manchester City and beat Cardiff, West Ham, and Newcastle so far in the 2018/19 Premier League season. Defensive errors are still evident and many other ills of Arsene Wenger’s era. Is it the new old Arsenal or is Uruguay’s Lucas Torreira the ultimate game changer?
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.”