Why Arsenal played Tomiyasu vs Liverpool despite defender’s lack of training
Last Updated: January 21, 2022 2:37 pm
Mikel Arteta has provided an update on Takehiro Tomiyasu following his return to action vs Liverpool.
Arsenal would take on Liverpool on Thursday evening in a League Cup semi-final tie, but went on to lose the game 2-0, handing Jurgen Klopp’s side a place in the final vs Chelsea.
Following the game, Mikel Arteta was asked if Takehiro Tomiyasu, who had missed the Gunners’ previous two outings, was still having trouble with his calf, or simply lacking match fitness.
And the Arsenal boss went on to confirm that he had little choice but to play the Japanese star on Thursday, due to both Cedric Soares and Calum Chambers being unavailable: “No what he’s done is incredible.
“We didn’t want to push him, we had to play him because Cedric and Calum were unavailable. Without them we didn’t have any full-backs and the second he knew that he said ‘I will play’.”
Arteta added that Tomiyasu did not train with Arsenal before the game: “He still didn’t have any training sessions with us and was still willing to play and compete in the way he’s done today.
“I’m extremely proud and grateful for the players that we have.”
Tomiyasu in the wrong for Jota opener?
Though a brave move on the part of Tomiyasu, did his lack of match sharpness cost Arsenal vs Liverpool?
The defender was somewhat at fault for the Reds’ opener on the day as Diogo Jota received the ball at the top end of Arsenal’s half before being shown inside by Tomiyasu, only for the Portuguese to then see his scuffed effort find its way into Aaron Ramsdale’s net:
Almost out of nowhere, Liverpool have found the lead through Jota! 💥 pic.twitter.com/WYdxx9RDrL
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 20, 2022
Arteta was asked if Tomiyasu should have shown Jota down the line for the first goal in his post-match press conference, and replied: “He slipped. He was trying to block the ball, he almost had the ball and he slipped.
“After that he tried to block the ball, it goes through his legs and the other way was the keeper. So I think it’s difficult to prevent that one.”
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This article was edited by Conor Laird.
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Arsenal vs Everton odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
| Arsenal vs Everton Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 21/10 | 13/8 |
| Everton | 10/1 | 11/1 |
| Draw | 4/1 | 14/1 |
| Arsenal vs Everton Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandre Lacazette | 11/5 | 11/5 | 1/1 |
| Eddie Nketiah | 12/5 | 12/5 | 11/10 |
| Gabriel Martinelli | 11/4 | 11/4 | 7/5 |
| Bukayo Saka | 10/3 | 10/3 | 8/5 |
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | 10/3 | 10/3 | 12/5 |
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 37 | 72 | 90 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 36 | 65 | 86 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 36 | 42 | 70 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 24 | 68 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | 37 | 9 | 66 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 37 | 1 | 58 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 37 | 11 | 56 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 37 | -3 | 51 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 36 | 0 | 48 |
| 10 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 37 | -4 | 48 |
| 11 | Brentford FC | 37 | -7 | 46 |
| 12 | Newcastle United | 37 | -19 | 46 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 36 | 4 | 45 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 36 | -1 | 44 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 36 | -20 | 40 |
| 16 | Everton FC | 36 | -20 | 36 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 37 | -38 | 35 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 36 | -18 | 34 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 37 | -42 | 23 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 37 | -56 | 22 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 21 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 14 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 13 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 13 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 11 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa | 11 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 10 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 10 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 10 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 11 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 10 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 10 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| James, Daniel | Leeds United | 1 | 7 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 8 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 8 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
