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The trophyless years of Arsenal were condemned by the fans and media alike. The most common phrase which turned up along with the ‘barren run of Arsenal’ was the club’s lack of willingness to spend on the transfer market.
This scenario changed five years ago when the club showed it’s intent to compete in the ‘money game’ by signing Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid.
Since then, the club has made many big money signings including the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But the recent addition of Lucas Torreira could eclipse the hitherto signings, and there is every reason to believe that he will be the foundation upon which the new Arsenal would be built.
The signing of Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria is a statement from the manager Unai Emery to judiciously fill the void present in the squad for several years, the void of a defensive midfielder to efficiently protect his defenders.
The 22-year-old Uruguayan proved his mettle with impressive performances for both club and country. Now it is time for his short frame to carry the hopes of Arsenal to glory. The midfielder has got indispensable talent and interminable spirit to label his name in Arsenal’s new era. There are ample reasons to disbelieve the contrary perspectives.
#1 Torreira and the spirit of Patrick Vieira
The critics have always pinpointed the ‘lack of steel’ in Arsenal's midfield ever since Patrick Vieira left the club back in 2006. Arsene Wenger bought in umpteen defensive midfielders who were talented on the ball but lacked the physical posture and acumen of Vieira.
From Alex Song to Mohamed Elneny, the defensive midfielders have failed to emulate the flair and fierceness of the World cup winner. In a succinct way, Arsenal's mediocre campaigns of the past decade could be attributed to the club's failure to properly replace the Frenchman.
Unai Emery, the newly appointed manager and successor to Arsene Wenger took no time to perceive this defect in Arsenal’s midfield. Torreira and Vieira don't have many similarities. Yet the decisive characteristic of Torreira that could construct the new Arsenal's modus operandi is in tandem with the Frenchman's, who was part of the famous ‘Invincible’ squad.
Despite their difference in physical aspects, the intangible similarity between the two players is their genius to disrupt opponents' play and win back the ball. Torreira's ball retention ratio for Sampdoria is incredible. In the 2016-17 season, he had the best stats for a U21 player in Seri A - most interceptions (87) and most tackles (72).
It is a well-known theory that a player like Patrick Vieira comes once in a generation. But as of now, Torreira is the best bet to emulate the legend.
#2 His similarities to N'Golo Kante
Arsenal could have signed N’Golo Kante in 2016. Kante was the hottest transfer prospect after an impressive fairytale campaign which saw his team crowned as the Premier League champions. But Arsenal eventually lost the race to sign him to their London rivals, Chelsea.
Kante could have been the panacea for Arsenal’s Achilles heel, but the midfielder who reached North London was another midfielder in the form of Granit Xhaka. Xhaka has immense talent on the ball, but his defensive performances have been marked by misery.
Both the Frenchman and the Uruguayan have the same approach of intercepting the opponents’ passing. This vision, shared alike by the duo is different from the notorious ‘Makelele role’.
Torreira and Kante can win back the ball, and keep the nerve to play out the ball from defence, instead of clearing aimlessly. In their respective leagues, they are almost on par when it comes to interceptions. Kante has an interception rate of 2.55 per game, while Torreira keeps in touch with 2.07 interceptions per game.
When taken into account the ability on the ball, Kante leads Torreira on stats like pass accuracy (89% to 87%), chances created (41 to 36), and take-on success (82% to 79%). But on the offensive front, the new Arsenal man is clearly ahead of Kante having scored four goals last season while Kante netted only once.
#3 He will be the bedrock of Arsenal’s new midfield
Arsenal’s midfield is talented, no doubt. Regardless, their midfield has choked whenever the opponents put pressure. Fans have lamented the midfield for being “soft”, and Torreira could leverage the right mentality into the team. He is a fantastic keeper of the ball and is renowned for his quick combination passes. He could set the tempo at midfield thus helping his compatriots to play with more ease.
At Sampdoria, he was stationed at the base of a diamond-styled midfield. He was patient on the ball and weaved passes in all directions. His extraordinary ability to escape from tight spots could help him take the spot of Santi Cazorla, who was dearly missed by Arsenal for the last couple of years. Similar to Cazorla, he has exceptional ability to move out from the cover shadow to receive the ball.
Unai Emery will most probably deploy him in front of Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka. Torreira’s style of play is characterized with the creation of four-versus-three superiority in the midfield when in possession and three-versus-two dominance when the ball is lost. His improvised runs to create-and-close space could be a tough trivia to the opponents.
