Arsenal: Matteo Guendouzi rebound another sign of brilliance

Matteo Guendouzi keeps coming up with more ways to impress everyone at Arsenal, but the rebound that he made against Tottenham is just another.

You might have forgotten that Arsenal even played Matteo Guendouzi against Tottenham, because he only lasted 45 minutes, and it was in the second half that the true drama kicked in, when Guendouzi wasn’t even out there.

But for that first half, Guendouzi was a key player, and in a really good way, especially considering that in the stomping of Bournemouth, he was a major liability. His giveaway provided the Cherries with their goal and he had several other moments where he was pressured off of the ball, surrendering possession to the high intensity of the match.

Tottenham provided the same intensity, but with a sharper edge, as they have more quality than the Cherries, yet for 45 minutes, Guendouzi couldn’t be bothered.

In that first half, he handled the ball more even than Granit Xhaka, and he did not surrender possession a single time (for the record, neither did Xhaka).

He completed one of the higher percentages of passes on the team (granted, not that high, as no one completed a good percentage), and he handled the pressure with a grace and coolness that was absolutely did not see when Bournemouth came to the Emirates.

There have been so many things this season that have impressed me about Guendouzi. He was our star performer in our opening two matches against Manchester City and Chelsea, setting a precedent for himself. When he lost his starting job, he fought back and earned it right back. He wasn’t the best at passing, but now he flings longballs around the pitch. He was a bit positionally askew, now he understands how to stay home.

I was worried about what the Bournemouth match might do to him, mostly because I just haven’t found many flaws in Guendouzi’s play, so I wondered if an individual mistake of that magnitude may sap at him, but it did nothing of the sort. He couldn’t have looked any more comfortable against Tottenham, driving from deep positions, spraying the ball around the pitch, and looking like he was right where he belonged.

This lad is brilliant, and it’s only a matter of time before the hype picks up around him, because whatever level the hype is at right now is not enough. You can be absolutely sure of that.