Thomas Vermaelen praises ‘battling’ Arthur Melo

Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen has praised the ‘battling skills and technical ability’ of new teammate Arthur Melo.

The Brazilian midfielder impressed during the Blaugrana’s 4-2 victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, but it was just his third start for the club since joining from Gremio.

“Arthur is a good player and of course he needs more games to adapt to the club and style,” Vermaelen is cited as saying by El Mundo Deportivo.

“But his start has been incredible, he has all the battling skills and the technical ability to go right to the top.

“This was an incredible match, there were many goals and plenty of great opportunities for both teams, it was a fantastic game.

“They (Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi) have enjoyed a great understanding for two years with Jordi reaching the by-line and cutting it back for Leo, they have a great tandem.

“The weekend game at Valencia? It will be another tough match and a difficult test for us because we cannot afford to lose any more points.”

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