Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praises ‘very intelligent’ £27m star after Chelsea draw

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has lauded the contribution of Leandro Trossard against Chelsea.

Arsenal were well short of their best against Chelsea on Saturday evening. However, the Gunners had Leandro Trossard to thank for the fact they were able to salvage a point at Stamford Bridge.

With Gabriel Martinelli now back to full fitness, the Brazilian wide man is now back in the starting XI. Despite his best efforts though, he could find no way through the Chelsea rearguard. 

Mikel Arteta opted to bring Trossard on in Martinelli’s place in the 78th minute. It took the 28-year-old just six minutes to make a telling contribution. The Belgian attacker made a smart far-post run to get on the end of Bukayo Saka’s cross. 

Trossard’s technical brilliance then came to the fore as he guided the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez with the outside of his foot. This deft touch completed the Gunners’ comeback, as they had found themselves 2-0 down less than ten minutes previously.

Leandro Trossard underlines importance to Arsenal

It should come as no surprise that Trossard was able to conjure something up in the final third. He has an impressive record of delivering end product for the north London club since his £27 million arrival from Brighton on January. 

So far this season, the 28-cap Belgium international has already racked up four goals in eight appearances. Only half of those outings have come as starts.

After the match, Arteta was quick to praise Trossard. As quoted by the club’s official website, the Spanish coach said, “he’s very good and he’s got this mentality to be always willing to help the team…It was a very intelligent run, the way he anticipates the cross and the action, and obviously the way he executes it, because it’s still not easy to score.”

Since his arrival at the Emirates Stadium, Trossard has had to largely content himself with having a rotational role in the squad. However, that should not undermine his importance to the north London club. Over the course of a gruelling campaign, Arsenal will need players like Trossard to step up time and time again. He was certainly able to do that against Chelsea.