The Warm-Up: Arsenal, Lucas Torreira & Where's Mesut Ozil?

Arsenal put in a performance of complete and utter brilliance as they deservedly beat Tottenham 4-2 at the Emirates in the North London derby.

Lucas Torreira epitomised a frenetic Arsenal performance. Scurrying around central midfield like an increasingly irked Yorkshire Terrier - he yapped and harassed anything that moved and set the tone for what was a dominant Gunners’ display.

Sometimes lost amongst his lung-busting, size-defying midfield dominance is the fact that the Uruguayan is quite the technician; as adept with the ball at his feet as he is aggressive without it. His passing is almost always forward, largely first-time and invariably incisive. In some ways he is the anti-Mesut Ozil.

Now, The Warm-Up would like to get something on record here: Mesut Ozil is a supreme footballer, whose passing is almost always forward, largely first-time and invariably incisive. The problem with Ozil though, is the cut of his jib. His jib is very different to Torreira’s jib. Ozil has languid jib.

Said jib, The Warm-Up suggests, meant that Ozil was an unused substitute against Bournemouth last weekend because Arsenal boss Unai Emery calculated that the Gunners would do better in "a very demanding match with physicality and intensity” without Ozil.

The German has not made the matchday squad for the following two fixtures. His absence from the Europa League tie against Vorskla Poltava was, The Warm-Up posited, completely understandable, for Emery was saving his big-game players for the big game against Spurs.

However, Ozil did not make the matchday squad for the North London derby after – cough, cough – suffering a back spasm.

Now, The Warm-Up is no gossip [The Warm-Up is a massive gossip] but this reeks of either a training ground bust up or further droppage. Don’t believe us?

Well, look at Emery’s post-match press conference regarding the German’s absence.

Perhaps Emery wanted to focus, quite rightly, on what was a superb performance from his side. Fair enough, but the optics don’t look good.

The optics are Arsenal’s manager had no idea where Arsenal’s best paid and marquee player was on the day of his biggest match as Arsenal boss to date.

So, the question remains: where’s Ozil? No idea, pal.

Liverpool left it late to beat Everton in the Merseyside derby – 96 minutes were on the clock when Divock Origi struck to down Marco Silva’s Toffees after a no-look assist from Virgil van Djik and a howler from Jordan Pickford.

Late derby winners are often met with euphoria. Getting one over on one’s closest rivals can represent a decent way to spend a Sunday afternoon but getting one over on them in circumstances that inflict unnecessary misery, well, that is what dreams are made of. So, congratulations, Liverpool Football Club but the cold, hard facts are that the Reds have regressed this season and that late winner from the Belgian is merely papering over the cracks.

Jurgen Klopp’s men are not nearly as dominant, frenetic or just plain energetic as they were last season. Perhaps this was a conscious decision from Klopp, perhaps he felt that Liverpool’s interpretation of the German’s gegenpressing was, over the course of a season, unsustainable. And perhaps the acquisitions of Naby Keita and Fabinho were an attempt to usher in a change of tact.

Both have an eye for a pass that far exceeds current midfield incumbents James Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson but neither, for different reasons, have managed to have a decent run in the team. The result? Liverpool are sitting off their opponents a little this season, and thus recovering the ball deeper than last year but do not currently have the nous to prise open defences from said deeper positions.

It is obviously good that while they are not playing to their full level, they are grinding out results, and the situation is not irretrievable – Keita and Fabinho, who both featured against Everton with the Brazilian impressing, should settle, but Liverpool must be at their best if they are to topple Manchester City. They are currently far from their best and grinding out results is sustainable for only so long.

Celtic beat Aberdeen 1-0 to win the Betfred Cup on Sunday. The Bhoys have contested seven domestic competitions during Brendan Rodgers’ tenure and have won seven domestic competitions during his tenure.

This is incredibly unhealthy. Unhealthy for Celtic and unhealthy for the Scottish game.

The Warm-Up has no affiliation either way so can say this from a position of integrity: Rangers please win something before the game north of the border collapses in on itself. The key to sport is competition and the more trophies Celtic rack up without anyone laying a glove on them, the more integrity the games in Scotland loses.

Quest, the Discovery-owned free-to-air TV channel powered by Eurosport, is the home of EFL football highlights for the Sky Bet Championship, Sky Bet League One, Sky Bet League Two, Carabao Cup and Checkatrade Trophy.

Every Saturday at 9pm, goals such as the below from Harry Wilson, are on offer. Enjoy.

Fans in the UK are able to watch the EFL on Quest free-to-air on Freeview (channel 37) and Freesat (167). It will also be available on Sky (149), Virgin (172) and BT TV (37) services.

Arsenal players were quite rightly in high spirits after they beat Tottenham.

This is literally what football is about.

Southampton had scored 10 goals in 13 games prior to their fixture against Manchester United over the weekend.

Yet, somehow found themselves two goals to the good inside 20 minutes against the Red Devils on Saturday. United came back to draw 2-2 but the result left United seventh in the table, with a negative goal difference.

It was a disaster of a performance, and this is all Jose Mourinho had to say.

Look, The Warm-Up will accept a porous defence, an anaemic attack and an illogical reliance on Marouane Fellaini but will not accept the jibberish that came out of Mourinho's mouth after the match. Weak, weak chat, that.

The last time the Ballon d'Or was won by someone not called Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo it was the year 2007. The player's name was Kaka and as it is Ballon d'Or day, here is the man himself at his best.

It is Ballon d'Or day. Look, the Warm-Up doesn't mean to burst anyone's bubble but winning this year's popularity contest is Luka Modric.