Mikel Arteta heaps praise on Leandro Trossard after Chelsea draw
|Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta heaped special praise on Leandro Trossard following his crucial equaliser against Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Gunners produced their worst performance of the season against the Blues, but they were able to secure a point after a late and spirited comeback.
The club were trailing 2-0 in the 77th minute before Declan Rice capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s mistake. He scored into an empty net with a first-time curling effort.
Trossard, who replaced Gabriel Martinelli following the goal, scored a goal of his own in the 84th minute after a precise cross from Bukayo Saka from the right flank.
Malo Gusto had the better of Martinelli for most of the derby, but he was unable to handle Trossard, who found space to tap his shot beyond the grasp of Sanchez.
Speaking after the game, Arteta said that Trossard is ‘very good’ and he has got the mentality and willingness to help the team, he told Arsenal.com:
“First of all, he’s very good and he’s got this mentality to be always willing to help the team. He had an injury that he wasn’t fit enough to play the last few games, then he played Man City and he had to come off, and he worked really hard during the international break to be able to be fit again.”
“Those things, it’s like with Martinelli, changes the momentum of his season and I could see that he was ready to come in. It was a very intelligent run, the way he anticipates the cross and the action, and obviously the way he executes it, because it’s still not easy to score.”
Trossard joined the Gunners from Brighton & Hove Albion for £21 million last winter and he has proved a tremendous acquisition with his regular goal contributions for the club.
He had a good debut season with one goal and 10 assists and has continued the good form this term with four goals and one assist from just 328 minutes in all competitions.
This has included vital goals against Everton and Chelsea in the league which have directly contributed to three extra points. The Belgian has become a clutch player for the Gunners.
Trossard has looked much more of a threat off the bench than from the starting line-up. Arsenal fans won’t mind more of the same over the course of the entire campaign.