Yeah as a CM or just a Midfielder in General.
Just can't think of anyone else at this moment that fits the Criteria. This was Arthurs 6th appearance in the league coming straight from Brazil at the age of 22 and made a noticeable Impact in His very first Classico as a starter.
We have seen plenty of debuts to young Midfielders in the Classico as Subs but in Arthurs case and my question it seems very rare.
His impact already looks like that of a truly elite player. The highest performances we've had this season have almost all come with Arthur starting the game.
He is the #1 ranked player in our squad for xG Buildup per 90 minutes which accounts for all the passes in the buildup to an expected goal aside from key passes and shots. And by a distance too, like a full .1 ahead of Rafinha in second place while the distribution between other players is much tighter.
If you include key passes and shots he's still our highest ranked midfielder comfortably (we can't really count Coutinho as a midfielder in this respect).
Both Rakitic and Busquets performances went from very below average to highly improved once Arthur began starting. When Arthur was on yesterday (first half) our midfield was dominating and when he faded so did our midfield as a whole. Perfect microcosm to show how much impact he has on the midfield individually. It's HIS presence in the center that is making the biggest impact in the squad right now, and it's not particularly close. To not only break into the starting lineup so soon but also be our most impactful midfielder is something truly special.
