Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira has been likened to club legend Patrick Vieira in recent months, but former Tottenham player Garth Crooks believes the Uruguayan is more in the mould of Emmanuel Petit.
In recent years, the Gunners have been criticised for lacking physicality and energy in central midfield, but the signing of Torreira has given them a greater competitive edge as the club remain unbeaten in 21 matches.
Is Lucas Torreira the new Emmanuel Petit? Five key things to know…
- Torreira has aptly earned himself the moniker “terrier” by Gary Neville for his bullish approach.
- The Uruguayan is a tenacious, dynamic midfielder and has made more recoveries (110) than any other Arsenal player in the league this season.
- His industrious demeanour and diligent approach has been compared to that of Vieira.
- Though not known for his goalscoring prowess, Torreira has scored two in two at the Emirates.
- Petit was converted to a defensive midfielder and thrived, and Crooks believes Torreira is playing on a similar level.
Torreira did not start in the opening five matches of the season as he adjusted to life in England, but having debuted start against Everton in September, the South American has been a mainstay in the starting XI, revolutionising a once stagnant Arsenal midfield.
The Fray Bentos-born player scored the winner against Huddersfield in 1-0 over the weekend.
Crooks, who referred to a meeting with former Labour MP and Arsenal fan, told BBC Sport: “I had the pleasure of being in the company of David Miliband recently, and sadly was forced to spend some of the evening having to talk about Arsenal.
“He wanted to know about Lucas Torreira. I told the former foreign secretary that Torreira was the difference between Arsenal and Spurs in the recent derby and has the drive and influence of an Emmanuel Petit.
“Torreira’s performance against Huddersfield was once again in that class. I got the feeling that the CEO of the International Rescue Committee quite enjoyed pointing out to a former Spurs player that he was actually an Arsenal supporter.”
Arsenal are currently fifth in the Premier League but level on points with fourth-place Chelsea and only two points behind Spurs in third. They face Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday before facing Southampton on Sunday.
Torreira is Arsenal’s “mad dog”
If Jose Mourinho lamented the lack of “bite” in his central midfield at Manchester United, then there can be no such issue for Unai Emery at Arsenal.
As things stand, Torreira has made more recoveries than any Arsenal midfielder (117) this season, won the second-most duels (132) and made the second-most tackles (30).
The pint-sized midfielder has also made the most interceptions (22) and the second-most blocks (3), while his goals against Spurs and Huddersfield in the previous two home matches have proven decisive.
As such, Emery has heaped praise on his player, believing he is showing hunger and desire on the pitch. “Last week [Torreira] scored and today also. He has quality,” he told Standard Sport. “His interpretation on the pitch, tactically, in attacking moments and defensive, he’s very fast in his mind and his feet.
“He can do very good work in defensive moments and like today and last week get into the box and score.
“We want to break every expectation with the players. He’s improving, he works every day with big commitment and good behaviour.
“He has the commitment every day to learn English for our meeting in the dressing room. That’s the first step: the commitment and behaviour. Then he has quality and hunger.”
The post “Forget Vieira, Lucas Torreira is Arsenal’s new Emmanuel Petit” appeared first on Squawka News.
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