Arsenal: 3 reasons Matteo Guendouzi should start

1. He can be special

For all of the positives that come with Guendouzi, there are drawbacks. His tackling is a little raw and untamed, his body positioning is all wrong when defending, especially when he chases the ball and then gets caught ahead of play by a simple turn, and, most pertinently under the disciplined and detailed Arteta, his positioning does go wandering.

At his best, Guendouzi is a rampaging, all-action, Rambo-esque midfielder who literally and figuratively covers every blade of grass with an impassioned but controlled rage and energy. It is as if he has swallowed some high-energy pills to boost all his attributes and takes on this superhuman form of himself. But this leads to positional uncertainty and a lack of discipline. He likes to chase. Arteta does not.

Nevertheless, the issues that Guendouzi exhibits are teachable. He can learn how to position his body in defensive phases. Coaches can teach him sound tackling technique so that he is not beaten so easily. His positioning and discipline will improve as he listens to Arteta, recognises his errors, and plays more regularly. The midfield qualities that are more difficult to teach — awareness, athleticism, technical skill, range of passing, vision — he has in spades.

Guendouzi can be a truly special player. He has all the tools to be one of the best central midfielders in the world. But he needs to play. He needs to make mistakes, to learn, and to improve. Because of that, he should be starting.