Arsenal and Matteo Guendouzi: Talent, yes, but attitude absolutely

Matteo Guendouzi is proving himself to be a star in the making. But it is not just the Arsenal midfielder’s talent that is shining, his attitude is too.

It has been quite the start to the season for Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi. While he showed signs of glistening talent last year, not even the biggest of his supporters could have thought that he would perform at this level over the opening weeks of the season.

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Guendouzi has stepped up from last season’s production. So far, he has been a consistent, reliable midfielder with the brilliant moments and inspirational halves. He has those performances that illustrate his ability, but he has now allied them with fewer mistakes and more consistency.

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The Frenchman has the talent to develop into an elite central midfielder. But there are plenty of other players that have had the same talent and wasted it. What is so exciting about Guendouzi is that he has the attitude to go with it.

This is what Alexandre Lacazette said about Guendouzi this week:

"“I’m really happy for Matteo [for being named September Player of the Month], he played really well, he helped the team when we needed him, he is really improving each season so we are all really happy with his performances this month. We can see that every top midfielder in the world is like this [in terms of demanding the ball and being brave]. They all want to take the ball. Matteo has a good ambition, he wants to be one of the best players in his position so every day he is trying to be the best and this month he showed that he can be.”"

There are plenty of players who have had the natural ability to develop into a world-class contributor for their team. The ‘bust’ label is thrown out for many previous talents. Arsenal themselves have had their fair share. Remember when Gedion Zelalem was described as a midfielder who could pass like Xavi and dribble like Andres Iniesta?

Not all of these players have fallen down because of their attitude, but there are many that have. But Guendouzi will not fail as a result of his character or his lack of desire to achieve or a laziness. Guendouzi is committed to being great. He was from day one. Guendouzi arrived at Arsenal keen to make his name known. He did not want to be loaned out. He is eager to play every minute. He wanted to prove that he is good enough to play in the Premier League. And he has.

This is one of the biggest pitfalls in modern footballers. No matter how talented you may be, without the aptitude and attitude to commit to that talent, you will not fulfil that potential. And Guendouzi has the right character in spades.

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So yes, praise Guendouzi for his skill and ability. But also recognise his attitude, because that is what will take him right to the top.

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