Arsenal: The concerning lack of Lucas Torreira

Lucas Torreira again did not start for Arsenal in Saturday’s loss to Liverpool. His absence is increasingly concerning, especially with Granit Xhaka toiling in his place.

Following the 3-1 defeat this past weekend at Anfield, Arsenal fans were quick to point the finger at Unai Emery for his rather unexpected line-up against an experienced and relentless Liverpool side.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — The Big Unai Emery Debate

There were several choices Emery made that seemed questionable, but perhaps none were as egregious as his decision to leave Lucas Torreira on the bench while Granit Xhaka occupied the lone defensive midfield position.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

Like many who were frustrated with the team before the game could have predicted, it was a disaster. Xhaka was stagnant and his lack of movement was easily exposed by a side who value pace and mobility in the midfield more than maybe any other in Europe.

The answer to this should have been simple. Torreira is very mobile himself and is Arsenal’s best defensive-minded midfielder by a long shot. His tenacity and spatial awareness are vital to breaking up attacks and combatting dangerous players such as Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

In addition to his defensive prowess, he has the recognition to move off the ball quickly so that Arsenal can turn defense into attack as fast as possible. While Xhaka clearly possesses better ball-playing skills than the Uruguayan, he often lacks the mental focus to play balls one or two-touch, often resulting in the defense being able to scurry back into position by the time his mind is made up.

Torreira’s absence from the opening match against Newcastle can be excused for his lack of preparation due to his late arrival from Copa America. Once it was revealed he would not be in the starting XI against Burnley, the only plausible reason I could fathom was that Emery wanted him rested to play a long and physical game against one of the toughest opponents in the Premier League.

This approach is a reasonable one as Torreira often does need rest since he throws himself into so many challenges and often picks up knocks and bruises. However, the fact that Emery chose to not start Torreira at Anfield perhaps hints at a more worrying, underlying trend. One can only hope that this does not signal that Emery prefers Xhaka to Torreira, but it certainly seems that was.

As I have discussed at length in prior articles, Xhaka lacks the mobility, mental focus, and defensive abilities to occupy the role in English football. Torreira, on the other hand, plays the invaluable role of a hyper-aggressive, athletic ball-winner whose combination of adequate skill and impressive mental focus allows him to dictate tiempo by moving the ball quickly and into the feet of those further up the field with more creative flair

For a manager that regards work rate and tenacity so highly, it is puzzling that Torreira is not the first midfielder in the team. Torreira’s value cannot be understated and with Spurs visiting the Emirates this Saturday, it’s vital that the little Uruguayan be on the field to do what he does so well.