Torreira reaches Vieira-like standing as Arsenal find bite
Five yellow cards, three of them for diving, a mass confrontation on the pitch for the second week running and “1-0 to the Arsenal” after a hard-fought victory – for Gunners fans of a certain age the good old days are back.
Unai Emery is continuing Arsene Wenger’s philosophy of stylish and expansive football, but is also channelling the grit and aggression that George Graham instilled in his title-winning team 30 years ago, which laid the basis for much of the club’s subsequent success.
What delighted seasoned supporters about the previous weekend’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur was not just the result, but the intensity and team spirit the players showed, something that appeared to be lacking in the latterday Arsenal, epitomised by Mesut Ozil, who was again absent on Saturday against Huddersfield Town. But he is barely missed.
Whereas fans once lauded Ozil, it is now Lucas Torreira’s name they chant, to a tune previously reserved for Patrick Vieira. The two midfielders may be some distance apart in terms of height, but their stature among fans and colleagues is on an equal footing. The Uruguayan is the closest Arsenal have come to reproducing Vieira’s midfield influence, and Torreira showed Huddersfield what a toughtackling scrapper he can be – and now he is scoring goals, too.
His 83rd-minute strike, a spectacular overhead kick from close range, proved to be the only goal of a bad-tempered game and took Arsenal briefly into third place. It was one of only two shots on target from either side, and Arsenal had to be patient, as goalkeeper Bernd Leno admitted. “We waited for our chance and it was quality in the end from Torreira,” he said. “But I think it was more about our mentality, which was the most important thing. We have quality, but it was not quality [that won the Don’t miss your exclusive Arsenal newsletter game]. The goal came less than 10 minutes before the end so we needed to be calm, to play our football, not lose possession too easily.”
Huddersfield were thrashed 5-0 by Wenger’s team last season, but manager David Wagner believes both sides have improved, especially Arsenal.
“The intensity they have, the aggression, the speed with which they press opponents is very high. Everything they do is much more intense. This is why they are where they are,” he said.
Wagner’s game plan frustrated Emery, who made two substitutions at half-time, as is becoming customary. He has made 14 substitutions before the second half, more than any other Premier League manager this season. Arsenal have also failed to take a halftime lead in all 16 of their games this season, yet have the best secondhalf goalscoring record. It seems they have staying power, too.
“Each match is different, each match is tough,” said Emery. “The way to win is different. Today was more difficult than last week because the opposition played with a slow rhythm. If we could have scored quickly, or started better, maybe it would have been more easy for us. This game showed we can be calm. We needed that to finish this week in a good position in the table.”
His delight at the result was tempered by the fact that he is losing key players to injury and suspension, particularly in the heart of his defence.
Rob Holding will be out longterm after being injured last week, and Shkodran Mustafi limped off with a hamstring strain, having picked up his fifth caution, which will mean a one-match suspension.