Mikel Arteta’s true thoughts on the role that Leonadro Trossard has played for Arsenal this season have now been revealed.
The Gunners find themselves in the thick of a title race having recorded 11 wins from their opening 16 matches, although a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa last time out meant they lost the top spot to Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta has needed all of his Arsenal players to step up this season as they attempt to win their first Premier League title since 2004.
And Belgian superstar Leandro Trossard is one player who has stepped up when Arteta has needed him most.
In 916 minutes of action across all competitions, predominantly from the bench, Trossard has recorded a goal every 153 minutes and has become a reliable source of quality in matches that are closely contested.
To put the above into perspective, he’s averaging a better minutes-per-goal ratio than the likes of Bukayo Saka (219 mins), Gabriel Martinelli (344 mins) and Gabriel Jesus (169 mins).
In fact, his record is the best in the entire Arsenal squad, which speaks volumes about the impact he’s making when the opportunities arise.
Trossard normally replaces Martinelli in the left channel late on in games and although his introduction didn’t work to the desired effect in the defeat against Villa, it doesn’t diminish Arteta’s feelings towards him.
Mikel Arteta is happy with Leandro Trossard
Journalist Dean Jones has been told that Arteta is a Trossard fan and appreciates how he accepts his role at the Emirates Stadium.
Following the defeat at Villa Park, he was asked whether the Spaniard should be concerned with his performance and he responded:
“I don’t think Arteta will be concerned about Trossard, to be honest. From everything I’ve heard about Arteta, he likes Trossard regarding how he accepts his role within this squad.
“I think it’s important to understand what he was brought in for and how he will fit in across the season. We know that when Trossard is in good form, Arteta is willing to trust him. Moments like coming on for Martinelli are moments when he must step up. He’s done it before, and he’ll do it again. I think it’s just a moment that he didn’t fully grab. But Arteta has got no problems with Trossard.”
Does Trossard deserve more starts in the Arsenal squad?
After supporters called for Reiss Nelson to start over Martinelli following his impressive showing against PSV, it begs the question of whether Trossard deserves more game time.
The Brazilian has only scored four goals in 19 appearances this term but he possesses the electrifying pace to run in behind defences and cause chaos, whereas the Belgian doesn’t.
In the defeat against Villa, the one decision that Arteta made wrong was substituting Martinelli for Trossard as he was troubling the opposition’s defence with his pace.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion star is the more creative of the three but lacks that blistering pace required to play down the left flank and given how effective Gabriel Jesus is as a striker, he finds himself on the periphery of the action.
Having recorded an eye-watering ten assists for the Gunners last term, it’s clear that Trossard’s best position is central, where he can impact the game with his creativity, instead of as a left winger.
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