2 days Ago By Evening Standard
can, in the words of , be a “bit of a moaner” if he is not in the team. Not that Arteta minds. In fact, Trossard’s hunger to always play is one of the reasons Arteta likes him so much.
“He always wants to be the best and when he’s not there, he’s not happy,” said Arteta. “But that’s what pushes him. “That’s where he comes in the pitch, he can make an impact because he’s got that drive, that anger which says: ‘I’m gonna show you.
’ I love that about him. “Leo naturally is a bit of a moaner but I like that because he’s very competitive and you have training sessions, he’s always busy with the referee’s decision, because he wants to win. That’s what I love.
” Ever since he joined Arsenal from Brighton in January 2023, Trossard has taken on the role of a ‘super sub’. The Belgian has scored 22 goals for Arsenal and nine of those have happened when he has come off the bench. Last season, Trossard scored six goals as a substitute in all competitions - more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues.
That ability to make an impact off the bench is one of the 30-year-old’s biggest strengths, but it is perhaps why he has struggled to nail down a starting spot. Arteta places great value on his substitutes - renaming them ‘impactors’ - and Trossard is one of his best. “He’s a really good character,” said Arteta.
“They all want to play, always want to play. Leo hass had a lot of competition in his position. That’s it.
Raise the level. If he plays at that level then he will play like anyone else Mikel Arteta “He’s played and with us he’s played as a left winger, as an attacking midfielder, he’s played as a nine and he’s a player that I value a lot. “We value a lot because he’s very versatile and very competitive and he’s a massive goal threat for the team.
I’m really happy with him. “Leo has shown a lot more consistency in the last 12 months, he’s deserved that. He’s had a lot of competition in his position.
That’s it. Raise the level. If he plays at that level then he will play like anyone else.
” Trossard should get plenty of chances to play over the coming month, . It is the first of nine games for the Gunners in January, with all of those coming in the space of just 29 days. A hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka has left Arteta short on options in attack and, as a result, Trossard can expect plenty of minutes.
He came off the bench when Saka got injured at Crystal Palace on December 21 and then started six days later, when Arsenal hosted Ipswich. Trossard set up the only goal of that game, picking out Kai Havertz with a cross, and there is an opportunity for him to enjoy a run of starts on the left flank, with Gabriel Martinelli seemingly the one charged with covering Saka out on the right. As Arteta points out, Trossard has played in a number of roles for Arsenal - including as a No10, out on the right and even as a false nine.
It is on the left, however, where the Belgian has looked best and that was certainly the case towards the back end of last season. Trossard scored six goals in the final 10 games of the campaign and he was, arguably, Arsenal’s form player during the run-in. A return to that form now, with Arsenal trying to cope without their talisman Saka, would be very timely as the Gunners look to keep pace with Premier League leaders Liverpool.
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