Lucas Torreira believes Granit Xhaka is fundamental to Arsenal’s success this season and believes his on-pitch partnership with the Swiss will go from strength-to-strength as he gets to grips with the Premier League.
After his World Cup exploits and move from Sampdoria, the Uruguayan was initially eased into first-team action. He’s since established himself as a regular starter, earning plaudits for his tenacious and energetic performances in the centre of the park.
While Xhaka’s presence in the team often splits the fanbase, the new boy insists that he plays a key role in helping his teammates build play from the back.
“I am going to get to grips better with all the tactical aspects of how Arsenal play,” he told the Evening Standard.
“Last year, I got used to Sampdoria’s style of play, where we had three players across the midfield, and I’m now adapting to Arsenal’s and there just being two of us, playing alongside Granit Xhaka.
“There are many things I can improve on, but that will come with time. We are going to have a much better understanding, we’ll only improve and when things are going well the team will become even better.
He added: “Granit is a player that I link up a lot with in the midfield and he covers lot of ground on the pitch.
“He occupies space really well and is important to the defensive balance of the team, which the manager knows. He’s an outlet for the first pass from defence and frustrates the opposition’s attackers. When he’s playing well, the team are going to win games.
“We’re gaining points and me and him are playing minutes together and gaining experience together, which is important.”
Torreira also touched on how he’s adapting to life in London, revealing he’s taken to exploring the capital when he gets some free time.
“Moving to London has been completely new for me — it’s another country, another culture, another way of life,” he said. “I’m quite a normal guy, very natural.
“I spend a lot of time training, but I’ve made the most of my free time to explore the city a bit. There are lots of new things, but I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time here.
The biggest challenge has probably been the climate, but I like playing in the toughest league in the world.”
He admits to being starstruck by Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette, in particular, upon arrival at Arsenal’s training base at London Colney, where he was given the No11 shirt and assigned his space in the first-team dressing room. “It’s fantastic for me because I arrived in a changing room with such influential players,” he said.
“On my first day, they said to me where my locker would be located and it’s right by Ozil and Lacazette. It’s something that I definitely couldn’t have imagined for a moment or dreamed about. It’s a privilege.”
Torreira’s Premier League season to date has been split in half. He sat out the first five matches as head coach Unai Emery focused on getting him up to speed, but Torriera has started the last five and looks set to face his biggest test yet when lining up against Liverpool in Saturday’s teatime clash at Emirates Stadium.
Any frustration at the delay in his involvement has given way to excitement at the level of his performances, providing a measure of control but also consistently showing an eye for a forward pass that helps Arsenal transition and attack with speed.
“The manager has spoken to me a lot and made sure I understand everything,” added Torreira.
“It’s important that he is able to explain everything to me in Spanish because it can be quite complicated when he’s explaining the principles of the team. He wants to make sure the whole team understands the points he is making the best they can.

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