Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has now admitted that he doesn’t know where Takehiro Tomiyasu is at his best on the pitch.
Takehiro Tomiyasu has been noted for his versatility. Mikel Arteta has claimed that even he doesn’t know what the Arsenal defender’s best position is.
Speaking ahead of the Gunners’ EFL Cup clash with West Ham United, the Arsenal boss was asked if Tomiyasu can play in any of the four positions across the defensive line. As quoted by Hayters TV, the Spanish coach said, “yeah. He doesn’t care. You see him strike the ball right or left, or playing left-centre-back or right-centre-back, he adapts straight away. That’s a huge quality.”
“I cannot tell you what is his best. What is more needed now? Yes, because we have less depth in that position [left-back]. But what is his best position? I don’t know.”
When Tomiyasu first arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2021, he quickly impressed at right-back. Since then, he has shown that he can also excel in the heart of the rearguard. In recent weeks, in rotation with Oleksandr Zinchenko, the £55,962-a-week ace has been deployed at left-back.
Where is Takehiro Tomiyasu at his best?
The 24-year-old has looked particularly good in this left-back role in Arteta’s system. Plenty of Arsenal fans have even called for Tomiyasu to become the first choice pick in the position.
Zinchenko has revolutionised the way the left-back role is performed in his time at Arsenal. The former Manchester City man inverts from the position into the middle of the park, becoming a kind of auxiliary midfielder, where his passing range can be put to the most effective use.
If Zinchenko has a weakness it is in his defensive work. Tomiyasu is a much more natural and secure defender than his Ukrainian counterpart. However, he has now also shown that he can impressively replicate Zinchenko’s inverted function. The 36-cap Japan international is comfortable passing off of both feet and has the pace to recover his position quickly if the Gunners lose the ball.
Given this development in Tomiyasu’s game, he now looks like an ideal left-back choice for Arsenal.
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