Arsenal: Matteo Guendouzi step back might be positive

Matteo Guendouzi has taken a step back in his career trajectory in recent weeks. But it might end up being a positive for the Arsenal midfielder.

It has not been the greatest couple of weeks for Matteo Guendouzi. After breaking into the Arsenal first team with a series of outstanding performances in his first year with the team and then backing those showings up as he established himself as one of the Gunners’ key players in the opening months of this season, the Frenchman has since seen his role reduce under Mikel Arteta.

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Arteta is a meticulous manager who holds high expectations of his players. There is great instructional and positional detail placed on every role in the team. Guendouzi, on the other hand, is a maverick. He plays with a freedom and fire that does not fit with Arteta’s more stringent approach.

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As a result, his starting position has slipped away. Granit Xhaka is now the everpresent starter, while both Lucas Torreira and Dani Ceballos have started ahead of Guendouzi in recent weeks. He is not totally out of the picture, of course, but he is certainly not the mainstay that he was under Unai Emery.

And then there is his ferocious attitude. It got him in trouble on two separate occasions during Arsenal’s winter break training camp in Dubai and he was absent from the playing squad for the return fixture against Newcastle United upon the team’s return to England.

But this recent setback might be just what Guendouzi needs to find his feet in this new era. His wild, untamed nature was actively encouraged under Emery. Not so much under Arteta, and Guendouzi will have to learn how to curtail it. But as reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic, Guendouzi is still highly thought of at the club and is said to have responded well:

"“The France Under-21 international did not receive additional punishment and is said to have responded highly impressively. There is an appreciation at Arsenal that while Guendouzi, who was named on the bench against Everton on Sunday, must calm down and face up to his responsibilities, the £7m signing from Lorient in 2018 is still young and has the potential to develop into a top performer.”"

Guendouzi is yet to find his place in Arteta’s Arsenal. He is not as disciplined as Xhaka, he lacks the defensive awareness of Torreira, and Ceballos is a more influential and consistent player in possession. The unbridled energy that he played with under Emery needs to be controlled as Arteta demands it, but Guendouzi must first learn how and in what manner.

Perhaps, then, a slight setback in his meteoric rise to prominence might be just what he needs. Guendouzi is supremely gifted. He is also a highly motivated and confident young player. He expects a lot of himself, and he expects to be given the chances to prove what he is capable of. Sometimes, then, calming those aspirations and providing a little context and perspective is needed.

Guendouzi is still the same amazingly talented player he was under Emery. He still has a bright future at Arsenal, and Arteta is quite aware of just how outrageously gifted he is. But he needs time to learn, to develop, to grow, to harness his fuel, and to settle into where Arteta wants him. He is only 20, after all.