Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Takehiro Tomiyasu has made an open request to Arsenal for an extended break after his exertions at the World Cup in Qatar.
THE LOWDOWN: MEMORABLE TOURNAMENT
Tomiyasu and Japan found themselves in a tight group when they arrived in Qatar. Against the projections, they managed to nick two wins against former Champions Germany and Spain to reach the knockout round.
The Arsenal fullback played a crucial part in those two wins and was hoping for another big scalp when they faced Croatia in the second round. That didn’t happen, as they were knocked out on penalties.
Tomiyasu, who had injury concerns during the tournament, has now made an open request before the resumption of the league season.
THE LATEST: PLAYER’S REQUEST
Arsenal’s versatile defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, who played the full 120 minutes in Japan’s penalty loss to Croatia, says the result took its toll on his side.
The 24-year-old went on to suggest that he needs time away from football to regroup following the disappointing loss.
“Hopefully I can get a bit of rest. I need time to forget about football. I need a bit of time,” Tomiyasu said.
“Of course, we are so disappointed with the result. My performance was a disaster today so I am sorry for the team.”
“I just need to be much better to help the team. It was not enough and also for the team we did not deserve to win. We were so close to achieving our aim.”
“They were better than us. I can’t be proud. I am not satisfied about what happened. This is football and yeah, we need to be much, much better to win against a stronger team,” he added.
THE VERDICT: WELL NEEDED
Given the conditions that games were played in Qatar, Tomiyasu needs an extended rest, so as to be fresh by the time the league resumes in two weeks time.
