Has Emery Unearthed A Fabregas Replacement In An Afro-Sporting Frenchman?

Last week, the world was greeted with the news of Matteo Guendouzi’s selection for senior duty at international level.

The French midfielder has had a brilliant start to the season appearing in all of Arsenal’s opening four Premier League games. This progress comes at the back of a campaign where his performances divided even the most ardent in the Gunners’ fan base. 

Many felt he had obvious potential but was too weak, too slow and very error-prone to make it at the highest level of English football. Whereas there may have been legitimacy over those concerns, Matteo’s progress has caught the eye of many across Europe with PSG mulling over a potential move to bring back a player they let go as a protégée.

Figure 1: Guendouzi in the North London Derby

Cesc Fabregas is a player many Arsenal fans remember. He may not be the most popular figure in North London but his contributions in the red and white shirt were astounding. His ability to create chances for his teammates was world-class. This was evident with the assist for Andres Iniesta’s 2010 World Cup-winning goal in South Africa. His career trajectory after leaving Arsenal cannot be described as exponential; he has been used and overlooked by different managers due to tactical and physical reasons.

Figure 2: Cesc in the Champions League for Arsenal

Arsene Wenger signed a little known 16-year old Spaniard from Barcelona’s La Masia academy in 2003. He was physically weak for the premier league in the eyes of many and it would have been difficult to convince even Johann Cruyff that this was going to be Patrick Vieira successor.

Seven years later, the Spaniard had matched the Frenchman in every aspect except trophy-haul at club level. He had won the World Cup while at Arsenal plus the European Championship. Also during this time, he had been named club captain, came within 2 assists of breaking Thierry Henry’s Premier League assist record of 20, named in the Premier League, made the 2006 UEFA team of the year and created more chances than Xavi and Iniesta between 2008 and 2011.

Unai Emery was appointed at Arsenal to bring a competitive edge to Arsenal. Something Arsene Wenger was losing at the tail end of his tenure. The Spaniard failed to neither win silverware nor get Arsenal to the Champions League but accrued more points than his predecessor and also went higher in Europe getting to the Europa League Final in Baku. 

In an attempt to rebuild a less competitive Arsenal team, Unai has brought intensity and work rate to the team. His Arsenal is more direct and aggressive than Arsene Wenger’s and that has meant he has had a lot of juggling to do in terms of midfield selections. Last season, Guendouzi, Torreira, Xhaka, Ramsey and Ozil were used in the middle of the park, with particularly the first three given more game time. Unai found grit and toughness in Torreira, steel in Xhaka and fluency in Guendouzi. This combination worked well especially against big boys at the Emirates. Guendouzi went on to make 48 appearances across all competitions.

With one full season under his belt, Matteo Guendouzi has become stronger in shoulder to shoulder tussles and an even better ball player. He has also mustered the art of calmness even when under intense pressure. These qualities if developed to their height will make Matteo a midfield kingpin. More like Marco Verrati. 

Cesc Fabregas and Guendouzi are different midfield players; different in stature, style of play and nationality. Matteo will not get Cesc Fabregas’ assists but for every deficiency he has with creativity, he makes up with intelligent midfield play, ball recycling, good hold up play and drive. 

If he keeps developing, Arsenal will have found a gem who could potentially play for the club for well over a decade. And with this may come performances that Arsenal saw in their Spanish maestro at his time at the club.

Follow Luke on Twitter @LukeSparrow3