Arsenal: Lucas Torreira should replace Guendouzi, not Xhaka

Arsenal fans are a bit bummed at Lucas Torreira’s supposed injury, but even when he comes back, we need to get it straight who he should replace.

Arsenal will be without Lucas Torreira for the trip to St. James Park, according to some speculation. He was seen holding an ice pack to his leg during international duty and initial reports (scarce though they be) were that he would miss a week.

Many fans immediately drew the conclusion that the timing was pretty poor, seeing as how they expected him to be starting sooner rather than later. He was gradually finding more and more playing time as he acclimated and he was getting noticeably better because of it.

I agree, he should be starting, but I also want to be clear who he should be starting instead of. Because it isn’t Granit Xhaka. And I know you’re thinking this is my bias coming through, but it’s actually not.

What you lose by replacing Xhaka is all of the offensive push coming from the midfield. I know that Torreira had a snazzy assist against Cardiff City, but that doesn’t mean he’s suddenly ready for more offensive expectations.

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All the signals up to that point have been less than conclusive. Not just that, but Matteo Guendouzi, similarly, has next to no offensive ability just yet. Which is fine. I’m not criticizing either one of these guys for being what they are. But in terms of what works best, you have to have some sort of attack-minded push coming from deep in the midfield and Xhaka is one of the better midfielders at providing that.

Take him out, and you create an inadvertent wall in the middle of the pitch that stifles the flow of the attack a bit. And keep in mind how much Unai Emery insists that this club build from the back. Without someone in the middle of the park that knows how to control the ball and where to go with it, you hinder yourself.

Plus, have you seen how much better Xhaka looks with Torreira in next to him? Do yourself a favor and look back, if you haven’t. They compliment each other so well. So let’s explore that a bit more before we go letting personal prejudices get in the way, eh?

We don’t have to worry about this yet, though, if the reports of the injury are correct. All in time, though.