Arsenal: Matteo Guendouzi finding his baseline as a midfielder

Matteo Guendouzi started his Arsenal career like a man on fire, but is now only 50/50. This is fine. This is all part of the exploratory process.

Arsenal brought in Matteo Guendouzi to be a bit of a wild card option in the midfield. Not many fans were expecting much out of the young Frenchman to amount to much right away, not with Lucas Torreira being in the midfield and standing out as the clear solution.

And then Guendouzi faced Manchester City and Chelsea to start off his Premier League career and shot out to the league lead in successful defensive actions. He was, without a doubt, the best player the Gunners had through two matches and the lone bright spot.

Which made us think that we’d struck a gold mine and, the most optimistic of us believed that he would carry us towards immortality. Or something like that.

Tempering expectations was always going to be a problem though, for fans desperate for something (or someone) to invest their hopes and dreams in while the rest of the club got started.

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Now, with the rest of the team finding their footing, Guendouzi has been on a bit of an average contributor. Which is actually a really good sign. Because at some point in his young career, he was going to have to find a baseline and not be such a hit-or-miss guy. No one can keep up the success and intensity that Guendouzi had presented in those first two games. Eventually you are going to have bad games, and the key is to not implode on yourself.

Aaron Ramsey used to be a player like that, who was either fantastic or terrible. But he got better and now he’s as consistent as can be and even his worst isn’t that bad.

Guendouzi has to find that baseline, where he can be effective without being dynamic. When that bad game inevitably happens, or the form just isn’t clicking, he has to know how not to bottom out and be terrible.

These past two games, Guendouzi has been just plain average. And that’s perfectly fine. Because he hasn’t been at his best, but he’s not been a detriment to the team. Which is one hell of a development for a hyper-ambitious 19-year-old.

It’s an important development on his path to be a superstar. Which, of course, he will inevitably be. Because of course he will.