Why Arsenal could thrive with a midfield partnership of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi
Arsenal currently have a load of attacking midfielders in the form of Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Aaron Ramsey. But the defensive midfielder’s position has been their Achilles heel for more than a decade now. Although Granit Xhaka has been utilized for the past two seasons, he has failed miserably.
Far too many times, the opponents would just run through the midfield and score past Xhaka with ease. But Emery tried to sort it straight away by signing two midfielders, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi.
Torreira joined Arsenal’s squad late in the summer as he was involved in the World Cup with Uruguay. But young Guendouzi joined the team in the pre-season tour and has been impressive since then. Guendouzi started in all three Premier League matches so far, which included starts against champions Manchester City and Chelsea. His understanding of the game is beyond his tender age.
He is capable of sitting in front of the back four and absorbing all the pressure. The moment he wins back possession, he tries to recycle the ball to either the attacking midfielders ahead of him or the marauding full-backs on the touchline. This is what Arsenal fans have been crying out for years – a midfielder who can stay cool and keep the game ticking by recycling possession. And the fact that he did most of this against the likes of Bernado Silva, N’Golo Kante and Ilkay Gundagon makes his performance all the more encouraging.
Torreira, on the other hand, is yet to make his full debut for the Gunners. He came on for Xhaka in the first two games and made an instant impact. He was the cool head of the team and didn’t rush into challenges. In the game against Chelsea, Torreira combined superbly with Guendouzi to see off the likes of Eden Hazard, Jorginho, and Kante but Arsenal were unlucky to not get anything out of that game.
The added advantage with pairing Guendouzi and Torreira is that these two players have a great sense of their positioning. Deploying them together will prevent spaces for counter-attacks, allowing the likes of Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to sprinkle the stardust ahead without worrying about what will happen if they lose the ball.
That said, both players are quite young and it will take time for them to adjust to the Premier League. But it’s a long season ahead for Emery and his men and for now, it seems the former PSG managers has found his perfect midfield duo.
