The Gunners man’s three-match ban has been upheld by the FA so he’ll miss the Premier League games against the Magpies and the Toffees.
Arsenal have suffered a blow in the shape of Lucas Torreira’s domestic three-match ban being upheld by the Football Association after the Gunners unsuccessfully appealed the red card he received against Tottenham Hotspur.
The 23-year-old midfielder was given a straight red in stoppage time during Saturday’s Premier League North London derby, which ended in a 1-1 draw, for a challenge on Spurs left-back Danny Rose.
As a result, Torreira will miss Arsenal’s next three Premier League games against Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Everton, before being eligible once again in the league against Watford on Monday, April 15.
The Magpies and the Toffees in particular should be buoyed by the news as the Uruguayan has been a key component of Unai Emery’s side this season, taking part in each of Arsenal’s 29 league games so far, and has also registered two goals and two assists (Transfermarkt).
On his day, Torreira is virtually unplayable, as shown by his performances in the 2-0 win over Chelsea in January or the 4-2 triumph over Tottenham in December, his combative style and water-carrier credentials being something Arsenal seem to have lacked in recent years.
A statistic unearthed by talkSPORT in October highlighted Torreira’s importance – in 442 minutes without him on the pitch, Arsenal scored nine goals but conceded 10 in total, while in the 548 minutes with Torreira on the pitch, the Gunners scored 20 goals and conceded just three.
Since then he’s only got better, so as a result, it will be interesting to see just how much his absence will be missed, and should Man United get through the Gunners with ease, Newcastle and Everton should smell blood and look to take the game to Emery’s charges.
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