Lucas Torreira Explains Why Granit Xhaka Is So Important to Arsenal

Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira has praised the impact that teammate Granit Xhaka has on the Gunners, with the Swiss international often the subject of much fan/media debate over whether he is of great value or a liability.

Torreira has started four games alongside Xhaka in a two-man midfield so far this season.

That run was only broken last week when the latter had to fill in as an emergency left-back. And while Xhaka may still have to do similar against Liverpool on Saturday, the blossoming partnership certainly bodes well for the rest of the season and beyond.

"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," Torreira told the Evening Standard.

"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."

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Torreira's relationship with Xhaka in a two-man midfield is important as the Uruguayan has been forced to learn a new tactical system since joining Arsenal in a £26m move from Sampdoria.

"I am going to get to grips better with all the tactical aspects of how Arsenal play," he explained.

"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.

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"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."