Arteta simply now has to start Arsenal’s 8/10 “warrior”
The past seven days for Arsenal have been a disaster, after suffering a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa and being knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich.
Momentum is always key in a title race, and Mikel Arteta will hope that the wind hasn’t been completely knocked out of the Gunners’ sails.
The only positive regarding the compact fixture list is that Arsenal have the opportunity to get back on track this evening, as they face Wolverhampton Wanderers on the road.
The last time that the two sides met was back in December, when Arsenal won 2-1, with one player particularly starring who must be unleashed again tonight.
Takehiro Tomiyasu’s last performance vs Wolves
With Ben White being rested, Takehiro Tomiyasu was called upon to fill the right-back role against Wolves last year.
The Japanese international was absolutely immense throughout the tie, playing 79 minutes before being replaced due to a calf injury that kept him out for six matches.
Nonetheless, the defender was handed an 8/10 rating by Football London for his performance at the Emirates Stadium, journalist Kaya Kaynak stating that he was 'excellent all day offensively'.
Assists
1
Successful dribbles
1/2
Touches
86
Pass accuracy
91%
Tackles
5
Duels won
6
Dribbled past
0
As you can see in the table above, the statistics also support that judgement, as the former Bologna star set up Bukayo Saka’s opening goal.
The number 18 was also extremely composed in possession, and he retained the ball brilliantly, as shown by his touches and passing stats, which enabled the Gunners to control the tie.
Furthermore, he locked down the left side of the Wolves attack entirely, making five tackles, winning six duels, and not being dribbled past once.
A similar performance to this one will be needed once again tonight, and that game should be more than enough of a reason as to why Tomiyasu has to start tonight.
Why Tomiyasu has to start against Wolves
One of the best aspects of Tomiyasu’s game is the consistency of his performances; it’s very uncommon for the defender to drop below a 7/10.
Although the 25-year-old has only started five games this season and averaged 42 minutes per game, he can always be relied on by the Spaniard, making him an important squad member.
This weekend, Arsenal will be tasked with stopping the likes of Hwang Hee-chan and Rayan Ait Nouri, who are all huge threats to the Gunners’ title challenge.
However, unlike last time, Tomiyasu will likely be fielded at left-back, which has become somewhat of a problem position for Arteta in recent weeks.
Jacob Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko have both failed to really impress, which led to the Japanese ace starting against Bayern this week.
The versatile “warrior,” as dubbed by journalist Ryan Taylor, put in another complete performance, which should make Arteta start him once again. Tomiyasu made three tackles, completed 100% of his dribbles, and had an 89% pass accuracy, which further highlights his well-rounded skillset.
Overall, it’s clear that the right-footed rock has to start against Wolves, and he may just become the first-choice left-back for the remainder of the campaign.
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