Pain in the Arsenal
Fansided

Arsenal Vs Sheffield United: 5 key players to watch – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang absence

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Referee Paul Tierney shows a red card to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on January 11, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Referee Paul Tierney shows a red card to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on January 11, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 11: Matteo Guendouzi of Arsenal pulls back Cheikhou Kouyate of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on January 11, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 11: Matteo Guendouzi of Arsenal pulls back Cheikhou Kouyate of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on January 11, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) /

3. Matteo Guendouzi

Who knew how impactful it would be playing players in their best-suited positions? After being shunted up the pitch to enhance Arsenal’s high press under Unai Emery, Mikel Arteta immediately dropped Lucas Torreira into his natural defensive midfield role. And the Gunners instantly looked more balanced and secure.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

However, Torreira is a doubt for Saturday’s match against Sheffield United after taking a bang to the hip against Crystal Palace. He was withdrawn at half-time of that match. If Torreira is unable to feature, Matteo Guendouzi will come in, just as he did last weekend.

The 20-year-old has slipped down the pecking order under Arteta, but his talent is undeniable. A terrific passer, he plays with great energy, purpose and passion. He is deceptively athletic, can drive the team forward with inspirational, all-action halves, is a capable dribbler, and has the rounded skill set to be a superb box-to-box midfielder.

Under Arteta, however, his positional ill-discipline has seen him slip out of the starting XI. Just like Emery did not believe Torreira could restrain himself sufficiently to anchor the midfield, Arteta holds the same opinion regarding Guendouzi. Can the young Frenchman prove otherwise?