After stagnant years and frustrating periods towards the latter stages of Arsene Wenger’s tenure as Arsenal boss, the squad appeared to grow increasingly short of energy and guile.
Lethargy and arguable complacency had set in. The proclaimed stars of the Arsenal team were not living up to expectations and were struggling to truly influence proceedings. Lackadaisical defending had become prevalent and the midfield battles were being lost more often than not.
A summer of upheaval and transition came years too late, perhaps, but Unai Emery’s arrival has sparked the beginning of a new era, currently viewed with cautious optimism and uncertain excitement.
The Spaniard’s appointment at Arsenal has been followed by a raft of fresh faces through the door, with several signings added to the ranks. This has contributed towards a stylistic, tactical shift at the club after Wenger’s experiment with the recently-fashionable 3-4-2-1 system.
Emery has instructed his new pool of players to revert back to the 4-2-3-1 system, with positional rotation among the attacking trident behind the striker clear so far, along with movement into wider spaces from central players to enable different passing lanes and more options for combination play.
As is the case with every 4-2-3-1 system, there has to be a reliable balance and a degree of high quality in the double pivot. Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka had been the more common options for Wenger in the midfield two last season but Emery has overseen the arrival of two new additions to complement his options.
19-year-old Matteo Guendouzi joined from Lorient and has arguably been the surprise package of the season so far, making the giant leap from Ligue 2 football to the Premier League in an almost seamless fashion.
The more high-profile arrival in midfield came in the form of Lucas Torreira, a highly sought-after young player who had mastered his trade in the Italian top-flight. At £26.5 million, the 22-year-old arrived as the club’s most expensive summer signing and was met with plenty of excitement from not only Arsenal supporters, but Premier League viewers as well.
Torreira showed immense promise during his time in Serie A. His energetic performances for Sampdoria reflected exactly the type of player that he has consistently strived to become, a midfielder who leaves it all on the pitch and one who inspires his teammates to do the same.
The ex-Pescara youngster often links his relentless work ethic to his ‘Garra Charrua’ – a way in which Uruguayan players live and breathe football. This level of intensity married with technical quality and tactical intelligence is hard to come by, but Arsenal were able to complete the signing of a unique talent in Torreira, fending off the likes of Napoli in doing so.
His introduction to English football has been gradual, though, and Emery has cautiously approached Torreira’s condition. Off the back of a tiring season as Sampdoria’s talisman followed by a frustrating World Cup for Uruguay, carefully managing the enigmatic midfield player has been sensible from the Gunners boss.
This mindful integration on Emery’s part has not deterred Torreira’s performance levels, however, and it’s safe to say that the Uruguayan has already influenced proceedings with Arsenal, albeit in mere cameo appearances.
Emery has opted to operate with the double pivot of Guendouzi and Xhaka in all four of Arsenal’s Premier League fixtures so far. The promising Frenchman has exceeded most people’s expectations, rising to prominence and scooping the Gunners’ Player of the Month award for the August period of the campaign.
Xhaka, however, has divided opinion. He has shown signs of improvement but has also struggled to eliminate habitual deficiencies from his game, such as falling into the trap of spacing issues along with unnecessarily indiscipline in his passing from time to time. This was particularly clear in the recent clash against Cardiff, as Xhaka’s failed, needless cross-field ball afforded the Bluebirds the chance to take advantage of a then-disorganised Arsenal back-line, which they capitalised on.
The Swiss international’s start to the season has been almost symbolic of Arsenal’s, in a general sense – signs of progress have been met with reminders of seemingly inescapable frailty.
Arsenal are currently sat in 9th place on the Premier League table after four games. They were humbled at home by Manchester City but were narrowly beaten at Chelsea, as an exciting attacking display was overshadowed by defensive naivety. The Gunners have recently picked up, though, winning against West Ham and Cardiff City, taking them up to six points from a possible 12.
It’s already been a season of talking points for the Gunners, mainly focusing on the age-old argument of whether Mesut Ozil works hard enough, along with whether Emery is good enough to lead the club out of the Wenger era despite only recently getting his feet under the table.
However, one point of discussion has been the form of Torreira. The Uruguay international has yet to start a competitive fixture for Arsenal, but he has already established himself as one of the club’s most impressive performers under Emery.
Torreira has made four appearances off the bench, seeing his opportunities limited as Emery continues to ensure that his star midfielder is ready for the challenge of Premier League football. Substitute appearances can often be a poor metric to formulate an opinion on a player’s start to life at a new club but if Torreira’s introduction to the Arsenal faithful is anything to go by, he’s most certainly hit the ground running.
In each of the four league games so far, Torreira has impressed. He has come off the bench and conveyed his qualities, pressing intelligently, covering space well and using the ball efficiently in each third of the pitch. Notably against West Ham last month, the 22-year-old turned the game on its head. With the scoreline finely poised at 1-1, Torreira was introduced 10 minutes into the second half and controlled the midfield, negating the influence of Felipe Anderson and affording Arsenal’s attacking players the opportunity to break away at pace given his ball retention and vision.
The Gunners went on to win this fixture 3-1, not chiefly due to the influence of Torreira, but because his energy and ability to transition defence to attack quickly was the catalyst in an otherwise ordinary team performance.
Torreira similarly influenced proceedings at Cardiff only last weekend. The midfielder was brought on with only 20 minutes to spare but again showed his quality in transition, helping Arsenal to threaten more from central areas and create more space between the lines. Torreira found himself in an advanced position late on in the match and was able to spot the position of Alexandre Lacazette in the box before intelligently feeding the ball into the Frenchman, who turned and dispatched in style. The midfielder again contributed to an Arsenal victory in just a short period of time.
Torreira’s ability to keep the ball close to his feet whilst using his body to retain possession is an art that will go some way in cementing his place as a staple in Arsenal’s side. He has racked up a stat of 95% pass accuracy from his restricted game-time already, reflecting his efficiency in the middle third. Torreira’s qualities are clearly compatible with the requirements of Premier League football and he is tailor-made for this more captivating, intriguing Unai Emery side.
Sooner rather than later, Torreira will be fully integrated into Arsenal’s starting line-up. However, this has to now surely happen with immediate effect, with the midfielder proving his ability to quickly adapt to his new environment. A double pivot consisting of Guendouzi and Torreira presents an exciting proposition that entails press resistance, efficiency in possession and the ability to progress play quickly. This duo would also provide Arsenal’s back four with a far better shield; Xhaka’s passing range would perhaps be a miss for the Gunners but his haphazard decision-making compared to Torreira’s quick-thinking and smart defensive positioning would appear to be a pragmatic change on Emery’s part.
Arsenal under Unai Emery have so far been moulded on the foundation of possession-based football with attacking fluidity, along with collective urgency when off the ball. Defensive issues have prevailed, however, with the Gunners conceding eight times in four games. It should be pointed out, though, that Arsenal have shipped a goal only once when Torreira has been on the field, highlighting his influence in retrieving the ball high up the pitch and keeping his side on the front foot.
Torreira is a player who reflects the changing of the guard at Arsenal; there will be no sign of lethargy nor complacency from an individual whose feet have always been placed firmly on the ground, with his heart and soul always out on the pitch.
Emery’s cautious integration of Torreira has been reasonable and understandable. However, now is surely the time to let the young star express his ‘Garra Charrua’ in the heart of a new-look Arsenal side.
