Starts for the Japan international have come in league wins over Brentford and Burnley along with Champions League triumphs against RC Lens and Sevilla. In the 6-0 victory over the French side at Emirates Stadium earlier this week, despite only playing for 45 minutes, Tomiyasu picked up two assists before White was introduced at half time.
With a number of training sessions under his belt, a return to the starting XI appeared likely for White however at 2pm it was revealed that Tomiyasu was in from the off. Ahead of the game, Arteta was asked about the displays of Tomiyasu with questions arising on how he could offer more in the attacking third.
"I think so but the priority for defenders is to defend and to defend well," Arteta admitted. "Anything that they can add on top of that is excellent and we are looking to develop but especially in the defensive phase, the behaviour and consistency we are showing is what we need to maintain, that’s for sure.”
The absence of Ben White has directly led to a dip in performance of Saka to some Arsenal supporters with his overlapping runs often causing defenders huge problems. However, Tomiyasu has proven he can be a more than adequate replacement amid talk of a new contract in north London.
0 Comments