Everyone was very excited about the signing of Lucas Torreira, but shirt number traditionalists cocked a raised eyebrow at his selection of the number 11.
It’s not one normally associated with a defensive midfielder. Back in the old days, 11 was usually your left winger, but these are modern times and many societal conventions as we know them are going to the wall – football is no exception.
The new signing did explain his thinking behind it though, in an interview on the 100% Deporte show on Sport 890, a sports radio station in Uruguay.
Torreira: “I wanted to pick #34 but It was already taken by Xhaka. I chose #11 because it’s the day of my birthday & I will get the chance to sit next to Mesut Özil in the dressing room.” More on @Sport890 [live now]
— Arsènic™ (@MrArsenicTM) August 3, 2018
He also spoke of his happiness with the move, saying, “I’m so happy to be part of a team as important as Arsenal, and to play in the the best league in the world.
“When I got to the dressing room I saw that my place was beside Mesut Ozil. It’s incredible, a player who has won the World Cup and has had a great career.”
It remains to be seen whether or not the 22 year old will get some playing time in Stockholm tomorrow night when the Gunners face Lazio.
It is our last pre-season game, but he, along with Granit Xhaka, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Nacho Monreal only returned to training on Monday.
However, Unai Emery did play Ozil against PSG despite a similarly short amount of preparation so maybe the Swedish Gooners will see the new man in action.
Delicious!
I’ll allow it. Doesn’t quite sit well with me, but nothing can be as bad as Gallas wearing No. 10. That should have set the alarm bells ringing.
Odd, all the same, considering we don’t have anyone claiming the no.3 shirt. Are we saving it because we still hope to sign a top-level defender?
Jose Gaya? Juan Bernat?
Asamoah Gyan
Didn’t Emery say after the game in Dublin that he and xhaka would both start against lazio?
Other players from the late stages of the World Cup are playing in friendlies all over the shop. I saw on the news that Man Utd’s lot all came back from holiday early so they would be fit for the game against Leicester next Friday :\
Emery is planning to start himself in midfield alongside Xhaka? That’s controversial. But hey, new coach, new methods.
The man was not kidding about the protagonist thing
Emery said they will get minutes tomorrow. Not sure about starting, but I hope so!
Shirt number article, cha-ching! 🙂
Wenger would’ve given either him or Xhaka the number 4 jersey. It’s criminal that Elneny was allowed to pick it.
It’s a weird number for a DM.
Do you think “criminal” might be a bit strong?
You sir are out of order!
Call the police
Of all the numbers he wanted 34,which was also taken somehow too? Can someone explain to me the significance of the number, or is it just an odd coincidence? ?
Yeah Coq had it before Granit
Yeah , even I don’t get how 34 is the choice of CDMs these days. Wasn’t that supposed to be 6 ?
Wasn’t Willie Young a 6
I like the traditional numbers, but they are based on (a) a formation with five forwards and two central defenders (“fullbacks”); (b) a time when no substitutions were allowed; and (c) when players did not have permanent numbers, but wore the number corresponding to their position, 1-11, whenever they played. I imagine that the real traditionalists a long time ago were shocked when the no. 10 was given to a creative midfielder who played behind the number 9. “Why isn’t he at inside-right, where he’s supposed to be?”
Just a few things I’d like to point out/clarified. No subs allowed? Formation with 5 forwards? Plz explain?! Cuz only thing new since I was born is I think keepers handling a back pass. I’d call myself a ‘traditionalist’ and for me nr 10 is the playmaking creative midfielder, don’t matter if he plays a la Wenger on hanging left, right or bang trough the middle. You can put Ramsey in middle but he woudon’t know, maybe they wore and I’m happy to be enlightened maybe i just misunderstood. Players used to rotate nr? Far as I know players always… Read more »
It’s a question of how far back in the past you want to go. I think the 1-11 rule for shirt numbers applied in England right into the Premier League era, though permanent numbers were used in other countries and in the World Cup earlier. Substitutes weren’t allowed in England until the 1960’s, and I’m not sure when the numbers were increased to three. I’m not sure about other countries. The formations that were the basis of the traditional numbering system (something like a 2-3-5 or a 2-3-2-3) are much older. It evolved over decades into greater emphasis on defending,… Read more »
Fair enough mate! I dont know much about rules before late 80’s early 90’s so that’s how far back I can go memory wise 😉 was just throwing thoughts/opinions out there. Learned something I guess. And I did cover myself by stating that you was prob right anyway judging by the thumbs up hehe but yeah just wanted that 5 forward, no subs allowed and cdlarified. Cheers
No problem, I didn’t take it in a bad way. I tried to answer as best I could, but I am no expert.
Sorry, friend, but football’s been around since long before you were born. What George is describing is how it was when Herbert Chapman was the Arsenal manager, and substitutes weren’t allowed until the 1950s, and at first only for seriously injured players. Even when I started playing as a schoolboy in the 1960s, we lined up with 5 forwards: 7 and 11 were the wingers (I was a winger, being small and fast), 9 the centre-forward, and 8 and 10 were at inside-left and inside-right (though they often did play the creative roles just behind the number 9). In midfield,… Read more »
Lucas with the magical number, playing magically on a magical day with magical team against a mannerless Manchester team….
It’s quite sunny out here guys
Imagine Charlie Adam trying to wind up this mofo OH WAIT STOKE WERE RELEGATED
Ozil Fanboii !! Welcome to the circle ?
The fact a 22yr old is idolising Özil like that made me feel old as shit for a sec and I’m same age as Öz haha then I stopped feeling sorry for myself and realised he was actually being Ronaldo’s butler when Lucas was a teenager still and it all made sense! 😉 It’s good to have that in the squad, proven young players looking up to/idolising (to a certain extent) their older established team mates. Hopefully it will infuse drive and ambition the club can benefit from for many years to come. And it wouldn’t surprise me if he… Read more »
That’s why Mesut Ozil gets 300k…
I don’t understand why Monreal has such an extended break, he didn’t play a single minute?
I find it hard to believe the players sit in number order.
The shirts are placed on pegs in the dressing room in order before the players arrive. They get the champagne service 🙂