Lucas Torreira is fast becoming one of the most crucial parts of this Arsenal team, and the stats suggest Unai Emery needs to keep starting him if he wants to keep this unbeaten run going.
In the Premier League so far this season, Torreira has played 873 minutes, during which time Arsenal have conceded nine goals. That’s one goal every 97 minutes. However, in the 297 minutes without the Uruguayan, the Gunners have let seven in, one every 42 minutes. It’s difficult to claim that’s not a statistically significant difference.
— Don Draper (@arsenalbarclays) December 1, 2018
Additionally, Arsenal haven’t lost a league game since Torreira made it into the starting XI.
In fairness, the two defeats at the start of the season came against Manchester City and Chelsea, but the 22-year-old then put in a man-of-the-match performance in the draw against Liverpool, so who knows if those losses could’ve been avoided?
If Arsenal can keep a clean sheet against Tottenham on Sunday, history suggests they’ll pick up the three points. Spurs have never before managed to stop Arsenal scoring in a game against them at the Emirates Stadium.
Let’s hope Lucas Torreira starts, and his presence can inspire another 90 minutes without conceding.