Arsenal manager Unai Emery has revealed the reason why Lucas Torreira had to be substituted at the 79th minute during their Premier League match against Bournemouth at Dean Court. The manager disclosed that the substitution was made as he felt it was imperative to reduce the workload of the enigmatic midfielder, according to the Daily Express.

Matteo Guendouzi replaced Lucas Torreira in the midfield as Arsenal triumphed 2-1 over Bournemouth thanks to an early own goal from Jefferson Lemma.

When enquired on why Torreira was taken off at such a crucial timing, former PSG manager said

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“He said to us, he was a little tired.

He was giving us good balance, but we also need to be clever with the player because he played two matches with his national team.

We need to listen to the player when they need sometimes rest.

Matteo is working very well and we need all the players.

Today this change is because we need to give him some rest.”

– Emery on Torreira Substitution[/perfectpullquote]

This was Arsenal’s first match after the international break, during the international break 22-year-old Uruguayan had started both the matches. The manager and the player both held common ground that it would be wise to make a substitution.

Arsenal boss Unai Emery explains Lucas Torreira substitution and Alex Lacazette injury | #Football | Sport Arsenal boss Unai Emery explains Lucas Torreira substitution and Alex Lacazette injury | Football | Sp… https://t.co/V5S8RlKwHU via @Eng___Football #News #englandfootball pic.twitter.com/CRlP2ReLVs

— England Football ⚽️ (@Eng___Football) November 25, 2018

The substitution was purely a tactical decision as Arsenal have a lot of important games queued up before Christmas, especially the back to back games against top six rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United before facing Spurs again in the League Cup quarter-finals. The decision was solely taken to prevent the player from unwanted injuries and to unburden him from the hard toil he had been going through since the last few weeks.

Torreira once again displayed his tantalizing potential and was crucial in winning back the ball and setting up the first goal(own goal). He was signed from Sampdoria for £26m by Unai Emery in summer. Given his stature that time, he wasn’t highly rated by the football pundits in England. His performances have spoken enough of his immense potential and he has proved all the critics wrong. He has been a vital cog in Arsenal maintaining a 17 match unbeaten streak since the early losses at the hands of Chelsea and Manchester City.

With this win Arsenal are now placed at 5th position, 8 points behind table toppers Manchester City. Arsenal will now head to Poltava, Ukraine to face Vorskla in the group stage match of Europa League on Thursday evening.

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