Arsenal Vs Watford: Lucas Torreira a critical injury

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 24: Lucas Torreira of Arsenal controls the ball during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield on August 24, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 24: Lucas Torreira of Arsenal controls the ball during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield on August 24, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal travel to Watford on Sunday afternoon and they could be without Lucas Torreira who is dealing with ‘muscular discomfort’. His absence is critical. Here is why.

Much was made of Arsenal’s troubles on their travels last season. They kept just one road clean sheet all year. Only four teams conceded more away goals. They won just seven of their 19 away games and ranked eighth in the away Premier League table, four points fewer than Crystal Palace.

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If you want a reason as to why Unai Emery’s side failed to finish in the top four, this is it. While their home form was superb, they failed to amass the necessary points away from home, and in the end, it cost them dearly.

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This season, Arsenal have only played two away games. They squeezed past Newcastle United in the season-opener, earning a clean sheet in the process, and then lost 3-1 to Liverpool two weeks later at Anfield, which is arguably the toughest fixture of the whole league campaign.

On Sunday, they play their third away game, against a Watford team that have just changed their manager and typically cause the Gunners problems with their stifling defence and physical attacking play, led by Troy ‘Cojones’ Deeney.

Sadly, this is the type of game that they usually struggle in. Both under Arsene Wenger and Emery, the north London outfit have tended to wilt in these matches. There are many reasons for this, but their lack of bite and steel in midfield is a crucial one. And that is why the potential absence of Lucas Torreira is so damaging.

Torreira suffered ‘muscular discomfort’ while playing for Uruguay during the international break. He was brought off just before half-time against Costa Rica at the weekend and sat out Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw with the USA. These selection decisions were primarily cautionary, but they still cast his availability for Sunday’s trip into doubt. And that is very troubling indeed.

As we witnessed at Anfield without Torreira, the Arsenal midfield can be overrun at times. They lack defensive nous and awareness and struggle to provide impetus and energy when they press. Granit Xhaka has been the primary culprit for these issues, of course, but Matteo Guendouzi is not the most defensively aware, while Dani Ceballos and Joe Willock are more offensively-minded central midfielders.

This not to say that such a Xhaka-Guendouzi-Ceballos central midfield is not capable of beating a bottom-of-the-table Watford. But of the growing number of central midfielders that Emery has available to him, Torreira is the most unique, and his special skill set — terrific mobility, a relentless engine, a willingness to scrap, tackle and snap — makes him ideal for tough away matches.

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As last season proved, if Emery wants to lead his team to a top-four finish, he must win these types of matches. But without Torreira, that task is a whole lot tougher.