Lucas Torreira: 2019/20 Performances

[Gooner416]

You get a couple of free Athletic articles per month with the iOS app. I have read every major Arsenal piece discussed in this forum for zero bucks.

Wait what?

 

[krengon]

You get a couple of free Athletic articles per month with the iOS app. I have read every major Arsenal piece discussed in this forum for zero bucks.

Thanks for this! Just downloaded the app.

 

[Trilly]

Thanks for this! Just downloaded the app.

It will suck you in. I got the app for the same reason but the articles are so damn good and the level of insight you get from the podcasts are like having a source at the club.

 

[freeglennhelder2]

Fair play lad, well deserved!

https://www.arsenal.com/news/torreira-our-december-player-month

 

[ksarp]

I remember when cats in here were calling for TDog to be sold. Eat your humble pies. I'll say this, y'all ain't seen everything about him yet.

 

[Wryer]

Love the lad. He's got heart of a lion, and his tackling technique is great. Not quite Kante, but he's getting there.

The fact that he was rested totally in the Leeds game with Auba underlines how important he is to Arteta (haven't heard any injury related reasons).

He is our press leader and having him makes a huge difference to the tempo of our defensive game. I believe that was one of the reasons for our lethargy in the Leeds game.

 

[HollandGooner]

Finally somebody understands where to play him and play him in his strenghts Emery was ridiclous playing him as no10 with all respect.

 

[YeahBee]

I remember when cats in here were calling for TDog to be sold. Eat your humble pies. I'll say this, y'all ain't seen everything about him yet.

Its a bittersweat pie thou

Regardless of how good he is

He is still too Short and it will hurt us

 

[roz]

Any news on his injury?

 

[Red London]

Any news on his injury?

Arteta said it was a muscle injury on Saturday. Said they'd assess by Monday so we should get news later.

 

[roz]

Arteta said it was a muscle injury on Saturday. Said they'd assess by Monday so we should get news later.

Desperately need him available, playing fantastically at the moment

 

[UpTheGunnerz]

Never doubted him, as per.

 

[krackpot]

This is probably his ceiling. Good combative player but **** at passing.

Hope we upgrade him in the summer

 

[Bloodbather]

This is probably his ceiling. Good combative player but **** at passing.

Hope we upgrade him in the summer

He's not indispensable, but should be the last guy we look to replace in midfield. You can build a great midfield with Torreira playing the destroyer role - just need better, more well-rounded players next to him.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

He gets bypassed so easily, he tries hard but as long as we have him and Xhaka in midfield we won't get anywhere.

 

[krackpot]

He's not indispensable, but should be the last guy we look to replace in midfield. You can build a great midfield with Torreira playing the destroyer role - just need better, more well-rounded players next to him.

We play a 2 man midfield, so it is not possible. If we played a 3-5 -2 like Sheffield United, he could work.

My problem with him is that he cannot move the game forward, and that makes it wasy for the opposition to just focus on Xhaka and Özil.

 

[Bloodbather]

We play a 2 man midfield, so it is not possible. If we played a 3-5 -2 like Sheffield United, he could work.

My problem with him is that he cannot move the game forward, and that makes it wasy for the opposition to just focus on Xhaka and Özil.

There's no reason why we should stick to playing a two-pivot system in the future. Torreira playing the Fernandinho role with two more well-rounded, versatile midfielders in a 4-3-3 would work pretty well. Not going to work with Xhaka not being able to go forward and Özil not being mobile enough, which is why both need to be replaced before we start thinking about replacing Torreira.

I'm not saying Torreira is indispensable, I'd actually prefer we change the entire midfield trio altogether, but it's not realistic to expect that, imo.

 

[The_Playmaker]

People need to be a little more understanding and move with the times. Modern football means your creativity doesn't actual come from the centre of the pitch. The days of you having a passer in midfield who breaks the press and feeds through balls through is gone in my opinion. We have been spoilt by having Fabgreas and Cazorla. Teams just dont have that player.

What you need to rely on his full backs who are competent passers and ball carriers so you can exit down the side of the pitch and combative dribblers with ball carrying and recovery ability so you do not lose the centre of the pitch.

People look at the progression of the ball and say Torreira isn't good enough because he isn't turning on a six pence, beating a man and then feeding the ball to our attackers on a plate, while also being amazing defensively. That player doesn't exist. That's Vieira. What you can buy is a more physical version of Torreira but you won't find one who can do literally everything.

Ball progression is a problem due to some of our attackers simply not being good enough in receiving the ball. Lacazette may work hard, but he consistently loses duels in the air, he can't relieve pressure by carrying thr ball or running into space. He can't consistently receive it into feet and he can't buy fouls. Its exactly the same for Özil. Probably worse as he can't even win it back if he loses it. Pepe can do it but he is outnumbered constantly. We can't expect him to wriggle past 3 players everytime he gets the ball.

Xhaka is basically a left back with no speed and agility passing the ball to someone like Luiz who is a more adventurous passer.

We have too many bodies just taking up positions. So many times Xhaka has the space to drive forward, draw someone out of position and pass the ball.

Torreira is the least of our problems.

 

[Maybe]

I would say our problem comes from having too many players who don't fit together. Laca/Auba is the obvious one, Xhaka with whoever plays next to him, and Özil who should play in a more technical team than Arsenal is.
Torreira was brought in for 20m or something which suggests he was never meant to be our key player, just a fix for some of the obvious issues that Xhaka has. And we were extremely lucky with Torreira because he gives us more than what we've paid for.
For the last 2 years, the club didn't try to improve the squad by adding special players, it was only patching the mess left by Wenger. That's why we were investing in Torreira, Leno, Luiz, Sokratis...

When Wenger was leaving I've said we will need 5 years to fix what he did in his final years and I think I was actually right about that one. For me, Torreira and Leno were the only successful investments so far if you look at it from the perspective of value for the money.

 

[Tourbillion]

I would say our problem comes from having too many players who don't fit together. Laca/Auba is the obvious one, Xhaka with whoever plays next to him, and Özil who should play in a more technical team than Arsenal is.
Torreira was brought in for 20m or something which suggests he was never meant to be our key player, just a fix for some of the obvious issues that Xhaka has. And we were extremely lucky with Torreira because he gives us more than what we've paid for.
For the last 2 years, the club didn't try to improve the squad by adding special players, it was only patching the mess left by Wenger. That's why we were investing in Torreira, Leno, Luiz, Sokratis...

When Wenger was leaving I've said we will need 5 years to fix what he did in his final years and I think I was actually right about that one. For me, Torreira and Leno were the only successful investments so far if you look at it from the perspective of value for the money.

True.

On Leno, I think he's really good, but he's a level or two below the "true" ball-playing goalkeepers around.

Immeasurably better than Cech was, mind.