3 reasons why Lucas Torreira should be a regular starter for the Gunners 

When Arsenal had the chance to sign N’golo Kante a couple of seasons ago, they gave a pass and went onto sign Granit Xhaka for a similar fee. Both are defensive midfielders by trade with truly different skillsets. While Kante is a free-roaming interceptor and ball winner, Xhaka is good with the ball at his feet. The presence of Francis Coquelin in the squad was also deemed to be a factor in not signing Kante, who went on to sign for Chelsea and win the League in his first season with the blues. With Coquelin moving to Valencia in the January transfer window last season, Arsenal has signed Lucas Torreira, who had an excellent World Cup, in the summer.

With a skill set akin to the world cup winning Frenchman, the young Uruguayan was brought to provide steel and mobility to the Arsenal midfield.

Although he was expected to be a bonafide starting XI player, he hasn’t started a game so far with the 19-year-old Frenchman Matteo Guendouzi, a player signed from a French second division, preferred instead.

Guendouzi excelled in the opening two games of the season against the defending champions and Chelsea before turning in a subdued performance against West Ham on Matchday 3. The game against the Hammers was the third one in a row where Torreira came off the bench and it was the game where his influence on the team and the players around him came in full display.

Here are the three reasons why he should be a regular fixture in Arsenal's starting lineup.

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#3 Adds steel to the vulnerable defense.

Torreira's defensive numbers were the best in Serie A last term

Having a proper defensive midfielder in front of the back four goes a long way toward alleviating the pressure on the centre backs and fullbacks. The Gunners like to dominate possession and the full backs are prone to be caught up, at the attacking end of the field, in the process. Barring Sokratis, the Arsenal back four like to move forward with the ball.

This style of play needs a DM who can recover the ball swiftly and intercept the attacks with proper positioning. Guendouzi, for all the heart and composure shown in the first two games, isn’t positionally astute as is the case with Xhaka.

The diminutive Torreira is very aggressive and proactive while making interceptions. His swift reaction times, anticipation and immense reading of the play is going to be vital in providing the Gunner’s defence with some added steel.

296 ball recoveries in Serie A and 5.66 interceptions per 90 minutes, highest in the league, the last term shows how capable he is at shielding the back four and winning the ball back.

#2. Sniffs out counter attacks.

Counter attacks have been Arsenal's biggest nightmares for decades and Torreira can sniff them out

The Gunners have long been vulnerable to conceding goals on the break. Arsene Wenger’s approach of keeping the ball and playing one-touch football earned plaudits from fans and Pundits alike for two decades. The French gaffer’s insistence on possession-based football made a mark on the Premier league landscape with many young coaches like Guardiola adopting his philosophy and enhancing it further.

The possession-based style, however, has its demerits. Without proper defensive midfielders who can safeguard the defence and sniff out counter attacks, the Gunners were always vulnerable at the back leaking in goals from the counter attacks.

Having a proper defensive midfielder with mobility and defensive awareness goes a long way toward solving the issue. When Francis Coquelin was deployed as a defensive midfielder alongside Santi Cazorla at the back end of 2014-15 season, Arsenal proved defensively astute because of the ball winning attributes of the duo.

Torreira is an upgrade on the Frenchman in terms of tackling, interceptions and tidy distributions. The Uruguayan shields the back four as well as sniffing out the counter attacks.

#1 Contributes to the attack from a deeper position.

Torreira, having started his career as a No.10, can start the attacks from the deep alongside Xhaka

Torreira started his career as a No.10 before being rebooted into a Defensive Midfielder at Sampordia. He is extremely quick-footed with an ability to pick out the right pass. This facet of his game alone makes him an upgrade on the defensive midfielders Arsenal had in the recent years.

Francis Coquelin, though a proper midfield destroyer, was never the one to contribute to the attack. Flamini and Arteta, for all their influence and importance to the squad, were veterans with ageing legs.

Torreira's set-piece ability is a useful weapon to the Gunner's armoury

With Torreira at the base of the midfield, Arsenal has a mobile Defensive midfielder with a good passing range who can contribute to the offensive part of the game without neglecting his defensive duties. He offsets the weaknesses of Granit Xhaka, who was tasked with protecting the back four for the last two years even though he doesn’t possess the skills to do so, and enables him to dictate the tempo of the game alongside the Uruguayan.

Having two defensive midfielders with exceptional passing range allows the Gunners to move the ball quickly to Mesut Ozil and the offensive players like Aubameyang, Lacazette and Ramsey in positions where they can do real damage. Furthermore, his expertise in dead ball situations adds another weapon to the Gunner's attacking armoury.