Tag Archives: She Wore A Yellow Ribbon

Lucas Torreira Scouting Report

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Like the majority of Arsenal fans, I got my first viewing of Lucas Torreira on Monday – that was not on YouTube.

It is easy to look at things through rose-tinted spectacles, but it was impossible not to be impressed by his performance in Uruguay’s 3-nil win over Russia.

Playing in front of the back 4 as the deepest man in a midfield 3, it is the exact role Arsenal have signed him for. I expect us to play 4321 next season, with Torreira to be flanked by Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey.

Torreira’s performance was exactly what Arsenal have been missing for some time.

He ran 10.km during the 90 minutes. He was everywhere, working hard, getting stuck in. He seemed to fully understand that his role in the team was to protect the defence – not to bomb forward and create like Francis Coquelin used to try and do.

Uruguay played very similar to Arsenal – with both full backs bombing forward and providing the width. Torreira allowed them to send both full backs forward without being exposed at the back; often dropping into defence to make a back 3.

At one point  Torreira’s tried to block Fyodor Smolov’s cross with his head while he’s on the ground. Uruguay were 2-0 up with 5 minutes to go at that time. It is the commitment we have missed for a few seasons.

It was not just warrior battling that impressed, but his brain and over all play.

He covered a lot of ground but was certainly not a headless chicken. 3 interceptions and zero tackles showed that he did not have to get “stuck in” in the middle of the park. Instead he was reading the game and ensuring he did not have to commit a last gasp tackle.

Torriera also did not give away any free kicks – highlighting his incredible positioning during the game. He was never on the wrong side of an opponent, never in the wrong place trying to get back.

At Arsenal, you need to be able to pass. We play out from the back. Our defensive midfielder usually sees ore of the ball than any other player – we all remember those Mikel Arteta 100 completed pass statistics.

Torreira completed 94.6% of his 56 passes. For Arsenal he can expect to add 50% to his total passes. At that many passes, anything around the 95% mark is incredible.

For The Arsenal, he will mainly be winning the ball and making short, sharp passes back to the defence (if under pressure) or into Xhaka or Ramsey to launch an attack.

What is important is that he understands his role in the team. He is not a playmaker. He is not switching the play with Hollywood balls. He is there to cover the defence and pass the ball on. And for Uruguay that is exactly what he did.

Torriera has been identified by Sven Mislintat. The German will know a lot more about him than any Arsenal fan. He looks to be a terrific signing and a steal at £26m.

Keenos

Tumbleweed at Highbury House

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In the last 24 hours, I have tried to write two blogs and deleted them both.

The first was about our goal keepeing situation. How we are going to get rid of 4 keepers this summer.

With Ryan Huddart and Hugo Keto already out the door, Emiliano Martinez will surely leave us this summer. He is just 6 months younger than Bernd Leno…

It is also impossible to keep both David Ospina and Petr Cech. My bet is the Columbian will leave.

The second blog was about Miguel Layun – the 30-year-old Mexico right back.

Arsenal are surely not interested in him, and any link is probably from the agent in the hope of generating interest elsewhere – or pushing through a deal with Sevilla.

Deals for Sokratis and Lucas Torreira are verging on completion. Maybe we should all just stop blogging and writing articles for a week or so, let those deals go through, and then start talking about the actual football.

Pre-season starts on July 14th with a trip to Boreham Wood. Should be a good day out in North-West London (is the Wood in NW London?).

By that time, we should be starting to see the shape of the squad. It will be the eve of the World Cup Final and we would have signed a couple more, sold a couple more and still probably be moaning about stuff.

Enjoy the World Cup.

Keenos

Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten: Arsenal v Racing Club de Paris 1930-1962 by Steve Ingless

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After the appalling human cost of the First World War. in which thousands of men were maimed and seriously injured, a unique and original idea was thrust into action by Jean-Bernard Lévy, owner of rising French football club Racing Club de France in the summer of 1930. He proposed an annual charity match between the emerging Parisians and Arsenal Football Club of London, England, who had just won their first FA Cup and were on course for the First Division Championship (their first triumph) the following season with all proceeds going to injured and disabled French servicemen from the Great War which finished twelve years previously.

The first match was truly the stuff of legends; after being 1-2 down at half-time, HerbertChapman’s imperious Arsenal team literally steamrollered their hosts and ended up 7-2 victors at the end of the match. Because of the frenetic Parisians (and also the large amount of money raised), Arsenal were invited back again the next year, and every year after that until 1962, allowing for the hiatus of the Second World War of course.

Only on two occasions did Racing Club de Paris play at Highbury; in 1932 (just after their name change) and again in 1954. Of the 27 matches that were played, Arsenal were victorious on 19 occasions, Racing Club four, and the same amount of matches were drawn. All this information (plus much more) has now been gathered together in a unique book, Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten: Arsenal v Racing Club de Paris 1930-1962 by Steve Ingless.

This book not only tells the story of the matches between the two clubs, but also a history of the life and times of British and European football through its most crucial and formative years; without many of the events and footballers mentioned here, the game today may well have been a radically different sport

to the one served up on a weekly basis ten months of the year through different mediums. The publication is lavishly illustrated with rare photographs, medals, programmes and contemporary cartoons; there is also eight colour pages as well as an extensive records section. All in all, it’s a superb addition to any football library, and a must for all Arsenal supporters who are hungry for knowledge about this wonderful club’s illustrious history.

Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten: Arsenal v Racing Club de Paris 1930-1962 by Steve Ingless (Rangemore Publications, ISBN 978-1-5272-0135-4) is now available on Amazon, price £19.99.