Arsenal: At least we have Matteo Guendouzi… seriously

Arsenal’s midfield is falling apart at the seams, but at the very least, we still have Matteo Guendouzi, and that’s something to build a foundation on.

Arsenal‘s midfield used to be a focal point as early as last year. Some of the best performances of last year were built on a midfield three that controlled the game, dictated play, and reinforced an aching back line that was often unequipped to handle itself.

That midfield three was composed of Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi. Nobody else was needed because they were everything.

Granit Xhaka maintained possession, controlled the flow, broke down defensive lines with his passes and was unappreciated every step of the way. But the job was effective and when he was missing, it was felt. There was no control.

Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi swarmed opposing players, refusing to allow them an ounce of comfort or stability, the likes of which we were achieving thanks in part to Xhaka.

This year, it’s been nothing like that. As far as I can tell, there has not been a solid midfield performance all year. And all attempts to put together a winning formula hasn’t worked. We can now add Dani Ceballos and Joe Willock to the mix, but these two haven’t been the “missing pieces” to repair the broken midfield.

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And now it’s getting even more broken-er.

The old midfield trio probably won’t make it through to next season. They may not even make it to the end of this season. Granit Xhaka is still taking digs at the awful people that attacked him, displaying that he isn’t over what happened and honestly, he shouldn’t be.

Lucas Torreira is the opposite end of the spectrum. He is hardly playing, and when he does, he’s being used improperly. It’s been a mess.

So, unsurprisingly, both Xhaka and Torreira are rumored to be on the out. And no one is bothering to ask why because it’s incredibly obvious.

Good thing we have Matteo Guendouzi, right?

Without Guendouzi, this midfield would be a floundering fish. There is nothing we can count on right now in the middle of the pitch. Nothing. Other than Guendouzi. Even though he still has a lot of growth to accomplish, he’s the guy.

Rather than complain about what we don’t have, let’s take a moment to appreciate what we do. Guendouzi is that rare everything midfielder, and that’s definitely something to build around.