Lucas Torreira says he flattered that Arsenal supporters view his presence in midfield as similar to that of club legend Patrick Vieira but joked he’ll have to grow taller for the comparison to stick.
The Uruguay international may have started the season on the bench but he’s come to the fore in recent weeks, developing a partnership with both Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi that has kept the Gunners unbeaten run ticking along.
Proving that he’s fast become a favourite on the terraces, the words of Vieira’s old chant have even been tweaked by fans to pay homage to his growing reputation.
“If the fans are comparing me and my game to Patrick Vieira, that’s amazing,” Torreira told Sky Sports.
“It makes me very proud but I need to grow a bit before I can be as tall as him!
“But he’s an amazing player, I remember getting up in the mornings in Uruguay to watch him. I feel very happy and am looking to help the team.
“I’m trying to improve as a player and do what’s best for the team. Right now we’re doing very well so it’s just about doing that.”
Despite a 14-game unbeaten run, the Gunners still have it all to do if they’re going to end their Champions League exile. Two successive draws have seen us drop to fifth place, however, Torreira is aiming high, especially with opportunities for silverware spread across four competitions.
“I really hope that we can achieve some really big goals this season. We are obviously competing in four competitions, so really it’s a case of so far so good.
“We’ve had a very good run so far, that has taken a lot of hard work but the team is working hard and improving with each game.
“Personally, I think a good objective for us would be to try and qualify for the Champions League, that would be fantastic for the club and the fans.
“We also want to fight until the end in the Premier League, the Europa League, Carabao Cup and when the FA Cup starts too.”
Great to hear that Lucas is enjoying himself, he certainly seems to be thriving since his summer move from Sampdoria. At this point, it feels like he needs a nickname. Any suggestions?
Alysson Rudd of The Times said recently that Torreira reminds her of the Peperami adverts of the mid-90s. Not bad.
Is he being comparable to Vieira? I hadn’t seen that anywhere but could have missed it. I know he has the same song but thought that was more to do with his name fitting the song than anything else?
once again, a situation where journalist twist and turn on questions to get what they want 🙂 man i dislike them quite a bit 😀 either way, we have a beautiful player in the terrier..
Vieira used to totally dominant games. He had tenacity but also skill and verve. He was also adept in all areas of the field. Torreira has the tenacity but still needs to develop much more if he is to be considered in the same bracket as Patrick
I would compare him more to Kante, well not this year’s Kante…he’s a bit lost under Sarri because Jorginho’s playing in his spot.
Keep it up Torreira! Between him and Guendouzi, we look to have a great midfield for year’s to come.
Just an aside on Kante, which may or may not be relevant to issues like where to play Aubamayang. I think Serri has a good chance to turn Kante into a good, even a very good, box-to-box midfielder. The problem is that he is currently probably the best defensive midfielder–and maybe the best defender at any position–in the world. That seems to me like a stupid trade-off.
Exactly. Also, I think ‘he’s only 5ft 5’ would rhyme better with ‘Uruguay’ then ‘he’s only 5ft tall’. Plus he’s 5ft 6 so it makes more sense too.
On a side note, I’m really trying to get an Emile Smith Rowe song going to the tune of ‘Cotton eye Joe’. Please help me start this tonight if you’re at the Emirates.
Actually, his song goes “he’s 5ft high…. “ to rhyme with Uruguay. Fine player.
Doh! My bad. ?Lol, that makes more sense.
He’s younger than Iwobi, let that sink in.
Lucas “the Torpedo” Torreira.
The Arsenal Ferrari!
I’d personally go with El Torro as he certainly chases down the ball like a raging bull and would sound great to the same time as Ooooospina!
Tune
I suppose your second comment is in the same bracket as laughing at your own joke?!
I take it he was correcting “same time” to “same tune” as opposed to loving his own comment to be fair…
Haha
Laca i dont think the Ooooooooospina thing counts as a tune
The Iron Dome
Surely.. the Terrier
The mighty insect. Not suggested by me sadly but the Guardian. Also thought it was the Viera song that just happens to fit him really well rather than a direct comparison. Although they play in the same position you can’t really call them similar players, based on size alone.
the terrier
His tackles are like lock jaw
I was going to say that!
The Torreirrier
The Torreirrier makes one sound rather inebriated when spoken aloud ?
“El Terrier”
Tasmanian devil!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hizr-W0MnMI
The pit bull
Very tenacious player, constantly gnashing at the heels of opposing players.
That was Davids though, plus he doesn’t look like one.
Pit Bull Torreira
The Jack Russell
Clearly the Terrier. Nothing comes close
21st Century Alan Ball?
How about ‘Shortinho’
Just shows how great a midfielder Vieira was, that his name is still brought up, when literally every midfielder joins Arsenal, which isn’t an all out offensive player.
might be similar, but he will never be as good
Viera was known as “Big sausage” amongst his team mates so maybe “Chipolata”…?
I won’t ask why
He reminds me of Harry Houdini, looks, height and gets out of tight situations. 😉
El ‘quito (The Mosquito)
The Mighty Thor !
“Nipper” ?
It would be nice to see him hit the target with a long shot, just for the confidence boost that scoring goals gives a player. But he’s not overall the type of player that Viera was.
Pity his height. Otherwise he has come in to add some bite and positional sense for us and Granit is reaping HUGE benefit.
Sometimes, its all about getting the right partnership and the Torreira/Granit pairing looks to be a potential scene stealer this season. Guendouzi will also play a massive function.
That said, we could well do with a Viera/Diaby type player combining height with ability to dribble up field.
Surely we must be on the look out for this player to add on.
Excellent suggestions all. The Terrier is my first choice. The Brother of Intervention is another.
Not that big but powerful and fearless and happy to take on any opponent however large…has to be the “Honey Badger” 🙂
I think we can call him Torrminator.
The Terrier seems suited to him. Aside from sounding like his name anyway, fans do keep saying he’s like a dog with a bone when he wants the ball: fiercely protective, at their heels, persistent…and he’s small.