Arsenal: Matteo Guendouzi is everything people think he is
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal fans are reaching a point of caution with Matteo Guendouzi, but this might be unnecessary. The guy is exactly who he seems to be.
Arsenal fans aren’t accustomed to something going perfectly. It never happens. Even when it comes to individual players and performances, there is always going to be something that gets in the way, be it injuries or a fall-out, or something.
Hence the cause for concern regarding Matteo Guendouzi. The young Frenchman has had two fantastic games against two fantastic teams and two average games against average teams and fans are starting to wonder if he is really as good as he seems to be. Or, rather, they want to know when something is going to go wrong.
Some are urging caution, and I can’t fault that approach. The guy is only 19, he definitely has a long way to go and we should be asking him to conquer the world just yet. But all that being said, we have no reason to temper expectations.
And here’s why: This is exactly who Matteo Guendouzi is as a player. Even from a young age, the fabric of a player doesn’t change. From a young age, Mesut Ozil was a slick, sliding, creative midfielder. To this day, that is what he is. His downfalls have come in him not translating those skills to a more physical game.
More from Pain in the Arsenal
- 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
- 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
- Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
- 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
- Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win
From a young age, Guendouzi has been a high-octane, non-stop ball hound keen on winning then ball back. That is who he is and five, six years down the road, we’ll be able to say “to this day, that is what he is.”
Guendouzi isn’t going to stop being what he is. He isn’t going to lose his work ethic, or his eye for winning the ball back. That’s who he is. The only thing that is going to change is the peripheral stuff, the ball control, the passing, the attacking push, the positional awareness, etc.
The only possible drawback to investing in Guendouzi is if none of those other skills develop. If he never goes beyond what he is now. Even if that does come to pass, the skills he has now will be improved upon and he ends up being a career high-octane ball-winner.
What’s so wrong with that?
Don’t fret. Guendouzi is exactly who he appears to be and that isn’t going to change now or ever. All that can happen is stagnation, which in his case, isn’t even that bad to think about.