Mikel Arteta has praised Takehiro Tomiyasu after the Arsenal manager made the decision to play the Japanese defender at left-back ahead of the likes of Kieran Tierney against Liverpool, a tactic that worked out brilliantly.
Speaking to Football London, the Basque coach revealed that the decision to start Tomiyasu out of position worked perfectly with the 23-year-old right-back keeping Mohamed Salah quiet all game and shutting off any Liverpool attacks down Arsenal’s left.
With Oleksander Zinchnko out with a knock, many expected Tierney to retain his spot at left-back against Liverpool following numerous impressive performances this season. However, it was Tomiyasu who got the nod from Arteta in a decision that threw many fans off.
The defender had started at left-back before for Arsenal but didn’t impress too greatly. However, this weekend was a different story as Tomiyasu was one of the Gunners’ best players on the pitch as the former Bologna star kept Liverpool’s star man quiet for the entire match.
Indeed, the £18m summer signing from last year enjoyed one of his best matches yet in an Arsenal shirt, and Arteta was nothing short of chuffed for the defender as Tomiyasu has now established himself as yet another left-back option for the north London side.
Arteta said when asked about Tomiyasu’s performance at left-back against Liverpool: “Very good. That’s what we hoped he would do and he did that. To think about doing that against Salah and actually doing it is a different story. Especially after playing on Thursday and what he’s been through in the past few weeks.”
Tomiyasu could keep left-back position after Liverpool showing
Arteta’s decision to start Tomiyasu at left-back was one that caught many fans by surprise, yet the choice from Arteta paid off and then some, with the Japanese defender continuously getting Salah into positions that the Liverpool star didn’t want to be in to great effect.
With Leeds United coming up next in the Premier League, there’s a good chance that the 23-year-old could retain his spot ahead of the trip to Elland Road, with Tierney likely to feature for Arsenal midweek in the Gunners’ trip to Norway in the UEFA Europa League.
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