Former Arsenal captain Tony Adams believes the Gunners will be boosted by the return of right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu from injury. He also stated that Cedric Soares "scares the life out" of him.
The Japanese made his first appearance for the Gunners since January as he came on in the second half against Manchester United on Saturday. He was recovering from a calf injury and was certainly missed by the north London club.
In Tomiyasu’s absence, Soares has often been used as the right-back but he has often been error-prone. Soares had another tough outing against Manchester United earlier on Saturday. He also handled the ball in the penalty area but luckily got away with it.
The Gunners won the game 3-1 with goals from Nuno Tavares, Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal for United.
Adams explained that Tomiyasu’s return is good news for the Gunners as they will be more solid at the back with him in the team.
He said on Premier League Productions (via Metro):
“It’s been a great comeback for Arsenal after those three defeats. We’ve had a few injuries too. Tomi came back right at the end there which is great because I’m still scared about Cedric. He scares the life out of me so it’s good to see Tomi back in action. If we can get him back and get solid defensively, I think we’ve got fourth.”
Arsenal will hope to kick on in the coming games
Beating Chelsea and Manchester United in back-to-back games in the Premier League has certainly lifted the Gunners from their slumber of late. They had lost three consecutive games before beating Chelsea 4-2 on 20 April.
Mikel Arteta’s side are well in the race to finish in the top four and will hope to kick on in the upcoming games.
Whether or not Tomiyasu will start their next game against West Ham United is still unclear as he is still far from being fully match fit.
Arsenal are fourth, two points above fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who played out a goalless draw against Brentford on Saturday.
While Cedric hasn’t done a bad job, he has his deficiencies.
Tomiyasu should be ready in time for the north London derby on 12 May. The Japanese international is a lot more solid at the back. He has showed his impact further up the pitch too with some good forays on the right flank before his injury.
Arsenal have all but eliminated Manchester United from the top four race as the Red Devils are six points below them. The Gunners will look to ensure they finish ahead of Tottenham Hotspur.