Arsenal: Matteo Guendouzi developing solidity just in time

Arsenal didn’t have a lot go right for them against Southampton, but Matteo Guendouzi’s continued development couldn’t come quick enough.

Arsenal don’t have a lot to count on these days. So many players are fumbling their responsibilities and so few are stepping up to the plate to take on the added responsibility. Matteo Guendouzi is one of the few who I can conclusively point to as a source of inspiration.

Against Southampton, there wasn’t a lot of control. And there hasn’t been much period since Granit Xhaka took the fall. His struggles to establish the same control we’ve come to expect from him this year have left the club desperate for a solution.

Guendouzi was always seen as the long-term solution with the optimistic ones believing he was the immediate solution. But there was still an unpredictability to Guendouzi that sometimes flashed it’s nasty face when you needed it least.

Guendouzi has a midfield presence, he has the right mind for the job, but he’s been rash and reckless in his young age.

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With Xhaka out of the picture, potentially forever, we desperately need a midfield presence to step up and establish some semblance of control, and while it wasn’t front and center against Southampton, Guendouzi did show himself to be inspiringly present and level-headed.

There were a lot of Xhaka-esque features to Guendouzi’s game. He wasn’t reckless. He only took one poor touch and was not dispossessed once. His passing was at a sturdy 91%. And while he didn’t attempt that many Xhaka-esque passes, the few he did were noticeable and precise.

These were all tremendous signs to see in a match that sapped away so much of our remaining optimism. Guendouzi is sneakily restoring control to a midfield so starved of it.

To add to that, there were some non-Xhaka-esque things that shone brightly as well. Mostly the fact that he won the ball back eight times, four via tackles and four via interceptions. He utilized his athleticism to fill space when the Saints sought it and to create space when his team needed it.

It might not have led to a victory and it may get buried underneath an otherwise awful performance, but all things considered, Guendouzi is doing his part to lift up the club.

Add this to the shortlist of things to look forward to, and just in time. If Xhaka doesn’t come back, Guendouzi is going to be the guy now.