“Guendouzi had a great game”

by imothyt

It won’t go down as a classic. It might not even be remembered much after this season, but it was a workman-like performance from the Arsenal and in the end put the club into third place on the table, above Tottenham.

I’m hardly celebrating. Nothing is decided, we can’t take a basic win over a bottom of the table team, at home, and throw a ticker-tape parade. But the win does put us into third, with every team in our cadre on 31 matches.

I was publicly worried that Arsenal might overlook this match. That we would put in one of those weak performances that we sometimes give. You know the kind of match, where we lack teeth and a single error gifts them the game? And while we did struggle to create chances I can’t remember too many moments when players went on holiday. If it was going to be a grind, it seems that everyone was ready to put in the work.

Newcastle followed the Rafa Benitez plan, stay tight, break up attacking play wide, stay deep, and hope to sneak out a win in the final ten minutes. But Arsenal were keen to that game and for the most part marshalled Newcastle well on the counters, limiting the Magpies to just two shots in the game and an overall xG of just 0.04. Yes, you read that right! 0.04.

I’m using the understat metric for that xG because it’s the least generous. My own xG for Newcastle was 0.14 but however you shake it, it was just two shots and a weird shot from kickoff by Rondon after we went ahead 2-0.

The reason Arsenal limited them to taking frustrated shots from kickoff was largely down to the energetic midfield duo of Ramsey and Guendouzi. Ramsey was given a slightly freer role while Guendouzi was tasked with keeping the game ticking over. But both were responsible for snuffing out Newcastle’s attack and did so with aplomb.

When I say “Guendouzi had a great game” it’s because in the context of a 19 year old being asked to run the show for one of the biggest clubs in world football, in one of the most physically demanding leagues in the world, against some bruising opponents, who are given plenty of latitude by the referee, I think he looked pretty good. 93% completion rate? Most touches of any player? Most passes of any player? Picked up three blocks, won the ball back a couple of times? And shutting the opponent down so that they generated just two mediocre shots? I’d say that’s a pretty darn good game.

Maybe you don’t. Maybe you want to point out that he’s still got a lot to learn. I get it. You’re a cool guy. Cool.

To say that Guendouzi has a lot to learn is as obvious as saying he has big hair. Of course he has a lot to learn, he’s 19 years old! What the fuck were you doing at 19 that didn’t involve playing with your dick?

Do you know how many total minutes of football he’s played? 4709. That’s all competitions, cups, Ligue 2, Arsenal, etc. Alexis Sanchez played 4229 minutes just for Arsenal in 2016/17 plus an additional 1349 minutes for Chile that summer and fall. Alexis played more football in one 12 month period than Guendouzi has in his life. Does Guendouzi have stuff to learn? No shit.

Expecting him not to be knocked off the ball easily, expecting him to pick out the right pass every time, and expecting him to stay switched on constantly is for the lunatic fringe. He has to make mistakes in order to learn. It sucks a little that he has to make those mistakes here at Arsenal but if he progresses like it looks like he is, he could be one hell of a bargain. I mean, we aren’t going to be the team that can afford to buy a £100m midfielder. And I can recall many people complaining that Arsenal don’t uncover gems (like Vardy/Kane/Alli/Mahrez/etc). Well, it looks like we have one. And like Aaron Ramsey before him, we are going to have to give him time and latitude to make mistakes.

While Matteo was busy carrying the water for Arsenal, Aaron Ramsey showed why Juventus paid such a massive salary to land him. I don’t want to turn this blog into 6 months of gnashing teeth and crying over Ramsey. I can’t. I don’t have the strength. But what I will say is that I wonder if Aaron Ramsey feeds off negativity, off of people doubting him?

Like Guendouzi before him, he had his doubters and haters. Not just the Stoke supporters and their one communal brain cell (currently on loan to Port Vale), but Arsenal supporters. Many of us doubted him. I called him “Hollywood” and bemoaned his lack of “positional discipline”. It drove me nuts when he bombed forward or stood next to Giroud for hours on end while the Arsenal midfield and defense was cut to ribbons!

But as the years wore on, it became clear that it was Wenger telling Ramsey to go forward and I realized that I was just plain wrong to criticize him. And now, one of the reasons I’m so adamant about defending Guendouzi is that I learned from the mistakes I made over Ramsey. That doesn’t mean I guarantee that Guendouzi will turn out to be a £100m footballer. It just means that I’m not going to jump on him for every little mistake. Not this week! Next week. When we lose an away game and he gives the ball away.*

But I almost wonder if Ramsey has heard the critics and set out to prove us wrong. Because he just seems to have grown so much in the last few years. And especially this year. This year is a totally different Ramsey. Much more composed on the one hand, but he’s also even added tricky little dribbles.

More than that, he just works so hard. Losing Ramsey to Juventus is one long, heart-wrenching breakup. Like if you dated someone for a while but didn’t really like as much as you should have. Then you sort of fell in love with them, like crazy in love with them because you suddenly saw all their great qualities and they were like, “yeah, thanks but I’m breaking up with you. Not right now. In three months. You should have treated me better!”

WHYY GOD WHYYY AM I SO STUPID???

I’ve only singled out Guendouzi and Ramsey because I like the narrative here. But the whole team looked like it was refreshed, like they are all best buds now. Ozil was smiling, Lacazette went over and hugged Mustafi after the game, Aubameyang laughed at Mustafi’s incredible (literally incredible) cross, and everyone seems to be on the same page. Maybe the trip to Dubai recharged everyone’s batteries?

And finally, I don’t want to get into a rant about Anthony Taylor – feel free, that’s what the comments section is for, get it off your chest – and I have sung Lacazette’s praises as a leader all year so I’m not going to do that again here. I’ll just end with Unai Emery’s quote from the Guardian:

“We lost our first two matches of the season to Manchester City and Chelsea and so we started last. Now we are third. Our target is very clear but we know it’s going to be very difficult. We now need to convince everybody we can be consistent away from home.”

Qq

*You know I’m kidding, right?

36 comments

  2. Excellent post, Tim. After the game, I went to twitter and saw Guendouzi taking licks from some fans, then I saw your tweet on his stats. It was like night and day. The problem I think is some of our fans are too “in the moment” reactive. But there’s also no denying that he had a storming 2nd half. What he does better than anyone at Arsenal is play a crisp forward pass, to feet, in a crowd. And yesterday, he shielded well. The problem with being caught on the ball is that someone has to show for a pass when he has it. But yes, for his age and what he cost, he is a wonderful player. Darn it, he’s a wonderful player period. Some guys in French squad like Matuidi are getting on in age, and it won’t surprise me if he’s part of the senior setup in a year’s time.

    And now we have a nice problem when Xhaka and Torreira come back, because Xhaka has been an ever-present under Emery. I think that Guendouzi has done enough to keep his place, but hey, we have 8 games this month and everyone will play and get ressted for some games.

  3. To Josh’s point last thread about Emery’s Ramsey decision proven right in time, no sir. It is a mistake, right now, plain as day. They f***** up on that call. Ramsey is 28, prime years. He knows and loves the club. He grew up here. And, most crucially, his all-round skillset is hard to find. How many midfielders do you know who could score with such precise placement? Tim’s analogy is spot on, as was Tim Stillman’s, posted last post. Ramsey, playing under a coach who deploys him differently, is showing the gooners who did not appreciate him what they are losing (where is PFo, btw?).

    The problem with Josh’s analysis is that Ramsey and Guendouzi are totally different players, so the Frenchman isnt a readymade replacement. He’s not a box to box, although I have to say that if he adds goalscoring and assisting to his repertoire, he’ll be a beast of a player. Ramsey’s passing is underrated (I think he passed at 93% is a game in which he had a big presence offensively, which is insane), but using my eye test, Guendouzi is more accomplished in that area. Zero prem goals and zero assists speak not just to how he is deployed tactically, but to the fact that he probably doesn’t have it in his game to replace Aaron there.

    Letting Ramsey go on a free is a boneheaded footballing call, plain and simple. I wonder if a part of him is enjoying sticking it to the Arsenal management.

    1. He is also enjoying sticking it to the fans who don’t think he is a club legend.

      1. LOLLOLOLOL – is that me? Because I’m not really going to budge here. The man’s not a legend to me.

      2. Great player, not a legend.

        Ramsey is going back to the bench once Xhaka and Torreira are both available. I think Emery likes the 3-4-3 without Bellerin available and he likes the control Xhaka/Torreira provide in the middle, especially with all the road games. And now Ozil has gotten back into the good graces he starts up front with Auba and Laca. Ramsey, Iwobi and Mhkyi are subs for the run out, which is not awful, they all bring energy and offense. But Ramsey is not going to lead this team for the last seven games.

        1. Back to the bench with such storming form over the past 5 weeks, especially in bag games? No, pal.

          It’s a crowded fixture list, so all 4 main CMs will get games, with even Elneny and Suarez getting some game time. But if you’re picking Arsenal’s best XI on recent form, Ramsey starts.

          Ramsey is clearly now one of Emery’s key, go-to, big game players

          We’re in a good place, in some measure due to Emery ditching the dogma around Ramsey, Ozil and systems/formations.

          On recent form, Mhki deserves to start, Ozil (voted MOTM on Monday) deserves to start, and Ramsey deserves to start. Guen was good, Xhaka is key to how he wants to play (and brings set piece and dead ball threat). If anyone’s place is under threat, it’s Torreira’s. And he’s a player I rave about.

    2. Arsenal can’t afford his wages is what we have been told, but even given that, he has only had a 6 month purple patch before his current good run of form and that isn’t taking into consideration his tendency to become injured. Is that worth 400k a week?

      I like Ramsey’s attitude and he is a good player, but I am not so sure that he is worth £20 million a year in wages. If that is reinvested in some up and comers, I will be happy.

      The problem here is the contractual mismanagement and not the player. Had he been tied down earlier rather than letting him into his last 12 months, no one would have complained.

      1. To anyone who had watched arsenal games for the last 5 years, that 6 month purple patch thing is b******t.

        The offer that was withdrawn would have made him the 4th highest earner behind Ozil, Aubameyang and Lacazette, and marginally ahead of Mkhitaryan. Context, perspective. 400k a week is fantasy figure.

        1. I don’t agree. Under Wenger, Ramsey was not a disciplined midfielder (you could make the argument for more than him), so was a liability a lot of the time. Ramsey alongside Arteta (who was disciplined) was free to make his late runs and was very effective, but he wasn’t able to replicate the form, sadly.

          So you say that the reported 400k a week is a fantasy while claiming fantasy. I like that 🙂 Sure – I don’t know what the contract actually is, but neither do you.

          2. While I like this blog, I may not agree with Tim’s analysis 100% of the time, so quoting him and holding it as the ultimate truth doesn’t hold a lot of water with me. Stats do tell a story, but sometimes, not the whole story.

            I do think Ramsey is a good player, but I also think that he was used in a way (under Wenger) which didn’t really bring out his best. That probably isn’t completely his fault. However, I bow to your obviously superior analysis to such a subjective view and damn anyone who may have a differing view. Jesus wept.

            Is there such a thing as a middle ground?

  4. I thought Laca deserves a shout.
    Is there another PL frontman who works harder than this guy at both ends of the pitch?

    And since I got Tim’s permission to throw in a few choice words re Taylor- what a dip-shiii…..stick.
    Clearly he set out to keep the game close by any measure possible.
    People give him credit for calling the Sokratis tug when replays show he didn’t have a clear view of the play and simply guessed.
    Never mind how faint the foul and blatant subsequent dive was.

    Just like he guessed( wrong this time) on the Laca disallowed goal for a handball.

    Also, can’t escape the feeling if Arsenal players did as much rolling around faking injuries as the barcodes did , there would be an uproar about it.

    I don’t know if Emery is the answer but people who wanted Benitez should probably withhold their future ideas from the rest of the public.

  6. Yeah, that was pretty dismal refereeing. The first one was a foul, but the Newcastle player certainly dove to make it seem worse, and even had there been no shirt pull, I don’t think he would have been able to cover Ramsey. No idea what the eff went on with the second one.
    I think a lot of the criticism of Guendouzi hasn’t been of Guendouzi himself, but rather of Emery for relying on him so much . But he’s done very well given how inexperienced he is, and I do think he can be an important player for us in the future.
    On the Ramsey situation, all I can say is at least he isn’t going to a PL rival. I’d be furious at this point if he had been allowed to follow in the footsteps of Van Persie. But maybe Ramsey has too much class and loyalty to Arsenal to do that?

    1. His excellent run of form is coming at the worst possible time for supporters. It’s great for us that he’s contributing meaningfully to the battle for top 4…but I kept asking myself how we could replace that version if Ramsey. Also made me doubt my previous criticism of Ramsey-I’m not as ready to give Emery all the credit for his uptick in form, but more and more it’s looking like the tactical discipline issue was the fault of AW.

  7. Curious at to why Mustafi appears to be so popular with his teammates. Because he makes them all look great?

    Quality post today, the subject of which has not quite turned 20 years of age. Pulling the strings at Arsenal from playing League 2 in France. You can’t make this s&$t up, you really can’t. With that hair he’d look Ubercool in a pair of wrap around or just basic Wayfarers. Because the future’s so bright he:s gotta Wear shades, right.

    I don’t have to be on the road again until right after the Europa final which we will totally be in and boss.

    1. Maybe he’s just a really nice and cheerful guy? I mean, you can still be bad at football and be popular.

  8. I checked Port Vale’s roster and was disappointed to see that there was nobody on loan from Stoke. I thought you had identified which player owned the brain cell.

  10. We are starting to look predictably professional. The drama is gone. No contract controversies, no coaching uncertainty. We come in prepared, play generally intelligent and quality football and get the job done. It is calm, powerful, focused and energetic.

    I too am still shocked that people think Guen is anything other than exceptional. He anticipated every Newcastle pass, shut off the passing lanes, and found ways to ping passes to his teammates in great positions. Does he go to the ground a little too easily? Yes. But that will be coached out of him. I’m not sure what else you want the player to do!!!
    Also credit to the defense, which has quietly improved and is finding – dare I say it- consistency.

    Unsolicited Prediction – Torreira will return in complete beast mode. Ramsey-Torreira pairing will be deadly. I think Torreira has been exhausted, and the break – even with Intl play, has been valuable for him.

    Finally, having a midfield that includes Ramsey, Xhaka, Torreira and Guendouzi is a real luxury, and something we should enjoy while it lasts. A proper world class club should have options at every position, so that we can create a team that negates the opponent while providing us with maximum opportunities. It’s great to have Mkhi, Iwobi, Ozil, Auba, Ramsey and Laca as attacking options. Imagine if Welbeck had stayed healthy.

    I will be curious to see if Emery has the confidence to field a more agressive, offensive-minded team against Everton, vs. sitting back like we’ve done in other away games. We need to put our offensive performers on the field and let them do their thing.

    Starting to doubt my preseason prediction of finishing 5th. 7 games left and I see reasons to believe.

  12. I should know this but I forgot. What happens if we finish 4th and Chelski wins Europa? Can we still qualify for CL?

    1. As I understand it leagues max out at 5 CL representatives. That means the danger to us losing our CL spot if finishing in the Top 4 is not so much correlated with Chelsea’s winning the Europa League (although that comes into play) as it is with whether Spurs / Manchester United win the CL.

      In short if we finish in the Top 4 and Chelsea don’t, even if Chelsea win the Europa League, we would still make the CL. But if (a) Chelsea finish outside the Top 4 but win the Europa League AND (b) if either of Spurs / Manchester United finish outside the Top 4 but win the CL, we’d lose our spot under those circumstances.

      1. I should note that if my understanding is correct, a 3rd place finish will guarantee a CL spot anyway. Only the 4th place finisher is in danger of losing their spot.

      2. Ok thanks, that’s what I thought. Didn’t even consider Spurs or Utd winning CL though. Heaven forbid.

    2. Yes. The Europa League winner is an additional CL spot. Now, if say, Man Utd were to win the Champions League but finish 5th, and we finished 4th, then we would get bumped for Man Utd. This is what happened to Spurs a few years ago when Chelsea won the CL but finished 6th in the league.

      1. There was a rule change, after what happened to Spurs in 2012, that means CFB Solon is on the money here. If the CL winner finishes outside the top 4, it’s top 4 + CL winner. If that happens AND the EL winner is from the same league and not in the top 4, 4th place misses out. No league gets more than 5 reps, and CL & EL winners are wildcard entries, in a nutshell.

  13. Going out on the road again we’ve some classic rock gigs in which we looking to cover Fleetwood Mac, CCR, and The Band. We might get funky with Sly and the Family Stone. Any suggestions? A lot of the band want to go political with some of those great John Fogerty songs: Fortunate Son, Who’ll Stop The Rain (hint, it won’t be a certain orange haired president).

    1. Long version of ‘Heard It Through The Grapevine’ — been termed ‘better than sex’ from some I know. 😉

      ‘Suzie Q’ and ‘Sweet Hitchhiker’.
      70’s ATL funk-rockers Mother’s Finest did an amped-up version of ‘Run Through The Jungle’ — energized a mid-sized venue. Think you can find it on Youtube.

    2. And you think it is going to be the the dNc? Please- class warfare pure and simple.

  14. United loses to Wolves. Not sure who’s on a worse run of form – Manure or Sp*rs?

    All part of the plan.

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