He scored the winning goal in the last derby, giving Arsenal a boost in the North London derby, and Eberechi Eze stole the headlines with a stunning hat-trick against Spurs, but the importance of another big goal by Leandro Trossard cannot be underestimated.
November has been a productive month for the Belgian international, who has scored at least one goal or provided an assist in every Gunners game this month and is Arsenal’s top scorer this season.
With two goals and three assists in his last four games, Trossard has emerged as a mainstay on the left flank, contributing consistently to Arsenal’s title-winning campaign.
His deft run and finish from Mikel Merino’s smart pass in Sunday’s North London derby opener was another example of a big moment by the 30-year-old.
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Leandro Trossard gets on the end of Mikel Merino’s pinpoint pass to take the lead in the North London derby
A lot has happened since I moved from Brighton about three years ago. Arsenal’s next two games will be epic, with Bayern Munich at home and Chelsea away. Two seasons ago, Trossard scored in both of those games.
Not bad for a player who was a £27m replacement option when Arsenal missed out on Mykhailo Mudryk. Mudryk moved to Chelsea for four times the amount and is currently out of football due to anti-doping charges.
However, Trossard’s situation in north London was not necessarily resolved. There were suspicions that Arsenal would sign a player with two years left on his contract for cash this past summer, especially given that he is now over 30 and the oldest player in one of the Premier League’s youngest teams.
However, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s hierarchy went in the opposite direction, giving him a pay rise to reflect his importance within the team. “For me, it was forbidden for him to leave. There is no chance,” Arteta said on Sunday.
That’s no surprise, given that Trossard has played the most games under Arteta since joining Arsenal. The reason is due to his availability.
All of Arsenal’s other forwards suffered injuries last season, but Trossard was the only player to feature in all 38 Premier League games. Since joining, he has missed just three games for Arsenal, two due to knocks and one due to suspension following his controversial sending off at Man City last season.
Leandro Trossard has made more appearances for Arsenal since his debut than any other player.
However, although he ranks first in terms of games played since joining Arsenal, he remains eighth in terms of minutes played. He wasn’t always liked by Arteta.
It has long been argued that Trossard would be more effective as a substitute, or as Arteta likes to call him, a “finisher” than as a starter. After all, he was involved in his first goal of the season with a goal and an assist away at Athletic Club.
But since then, he has started nine of Arsenal’s last 10 games, including eight consecutive starts in the Premier League.
Part of Trossard’s rise has been his stability at the position. Due to injury problems with Arsenal’s forward line, he played more than 1,000 minutes as a center forward last season, while also starting on the right wing in the Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Newcastle.
Leandro Trossard’s playing time by position
Earlier this month, Trossard revealed that his best position is left wing, where he has played regularly this season. “At least now we have some consistency,” he said.
But another aspect is his relationship with Riccardo Calafioli, another player who has spent a lot of time on the sidelines but has been a virtual constant presence this season.
As explained by Trossard, the Italian is capable of playing anywhere, including as a midfielder, right winger or even striker, creating more havoc for Arsenal’s team compared to Miles Lewis-Skelly, who primarily plays in midfield.
“That’s rich!” Trossard added of Calafioli’s wild tactical GPS system. “That’s one of his strengths. He shows up everywhere, in the pocket and as a striker, but his unpredictability can be detrimental to the team.
Riccardo Calafioli has the ability to move into any position.
“Miles will be more settled in his position when he comes into midfield where he is very strong and very good on the ball.
“At the moment I have a good relationship with (Calafioli). I know what he can do, where he can pop up and in what positions. Sometimes I can even play the ball blind against him and I know he is there.”
Trossard ultimately played a huge role in making Arsenal very well-rounded. His goal involvement in November so far has not come from open play, with the Gunners scoring the most goals from open play of any Premier League team. That’s all that depends on set pieces.
Arsenal are coming off a big week following their North London derby victory, but Trossard’s close relationship with his team-mates and his record in big games is pushing them closer to the title they covet.
Sunday, November 30th 4pm
4:30pm kickoff
Watch Chelsea v Arsenal in the Premier League’s top two battle – this Sunday, 4.30pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports…
