Arsenal World Cup update: My word Lucas Torreira is scrappy

Lucas Torreira started his first game at the World Cup for Uruguay on Monday. The Arsenal target played well against Russia in midfield with one trait shining: his scrappiness.

The World Cup offers a unique insight into players that many fans have not had the chance to watch domestically. For those that do not watch much La Liga or Bundesliga or Ligue 1 football, the World Cup provides the perfect opportunity for them to cast their eye over players who they may have heard of but have never actually seen take the pitch.

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For Arsenal fans, that often means getting the chance to watch potential signings: Granit Xhaka two years ago in Euro 2016; Tomas Rosicky in 2006; Andrey Arshavin, who the club would sign six months later, in the Euro 2008. And now, this year, they have another name to keep a close eye on, Uruguay’s Lucas Torreira.

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The midfielder made his first start on Monday against Russia, with Oscar Tabarez shifting from his routine 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2 to accommodate a third central midfielder and still persist with two strikers, that being Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. The third midfielder he introduced was Torreira, who sat the base of a midfield triangle with Rodrigo Bentancur and Matias Vecino flanking either side of him.

It was just interesting to see Torreira in more depth, even if it did come against a Russia side that had already qualified and were down to ten men after Igor Smolnikov’s second yellow in the 36th minute. That meant that Uruguay dominated possession and controlled the game, which is not where Torreira is particularly at his best. But even in this lopsided affair, there were glimpses of his most endearing and, for me, exciting asset: his scrappiness.

What was most evident in watching Torreira play was his movement. He is exceptionally sharp. His speed over longer distances may not quite be as quick as some other, more athletic players, but in the busy, bounding world of a congested midfield, he boasts the quickness, the agility, the balance and the acceleration to cover lots of ground in a short space of time.

This, allied with his insatiable desire to win the ball, makes him a truly horrible player to play against. He is relentless in his pursuit of the ball. He hounds, he harasses, he snaps and bites. He scraps for every loose ball, even if he only stands at 5-foot-6, and he simply makes a nuisance of himself, which is perhaps the biggest compliment that I can pay him.

Concessions must be made for the quality of the opponent. There will be tougher tests to come and not much can be gleaned from his 91% pass completion rate, for instance, given the lack of pressure on the ball and the ease at which Uruguay could pass it in deep areas, unpressured.

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But without question, Torreira’s scrappiness was on full show against Russia, and that is a trait that is not dependent on the quality of the opposition. It is a trait based on willpower, diligence, discipline and speed, and he has them all in abundance.