Matteo Guendouzi is the hot-head who perfectly sums up Arsenal’s worrying lack of leadership

Arsenal misplaced their heads as they embarrassingly crumbled to a two-one defeat to relegation-threatened Brighton on Saturday afternoon in the Leading League.

They have endured a wretched restart to the season, and quite frankly the complete campaign has in point been a no-goer for the club – languishing in tenth in the Leading League with a objective distinction of zero.

The Gunners are slipping additional and additional into mediocrity and Saturday summed up just how much work Mikel Arteta has on his hands.

And Matteo Guendouzi’s humiliating petulance right at the end of the activity extra gas to the fire that there is loads mistaken inside the Arsenal dressing home.

The younger Frenchman stole the headlines immediately after grabbing Neal Maupay by the throat in ill-tempered scenes just moments immediately after the Brighton striker netted the past-gasp winner at the AMEX Stadium. Very fortuitously for him, he will not encounter punishment from the FA immediately after they confirmed VAR subsequently reviewed the incident, but made the decision not to consider motion.

While Guendouzi misplaced composure immediately after Arsenal yet again stole the headlines for their no-display on the pitch, he also appeared to still be incensed after Maupay jumped into Bernd Leno just right before the keeper fell awkwardly leading to him to suffer a critical knee personal injury.

Some would argue that at least he is one particular of a find few gamers to display some passion, but quite simply set, it was an uncomfortable act from a warm-headed youngster who is still to make it in the Leading League.

Sportsmail revealed on Monday that Guendouzi, who earns in the region of £40,000-a-week, invested the activity taunting Brighton gamers about the economic disparity amongst the squads.

‘He was indicating the Brighton gamers were being s*** and that he and his staff-mates earn so much much more than they at any time will,’ a resource mentioned. ‘He’s carried out it in other games as properly. Arsenal are a respectable club and detest that sort of behaviour.’ 

The 21-year-outdated has turned into a warm-head with no handle, who sums up Arsenal’s lack of course with no true leaders in the staff. But it has been a big challenge for yrs, considering the fact that the times Patrick Vieira remaining in point.

And Gary Neville, who experienced loads of operate-ins with Arsene Wenger’s good sides of the earlier, strike the nail on the head when he mentioned Arsenal’s present-day crop simply cannot be reliable.

‘You just can’t believe in Arsenal, you haven’t been able to for yrs,’ he mentioned on the Gary Neville Podcast. ‘We’ve all mentioned it.

‘Mikel Arteta – we should still say that the shape Arsenal are playing, the shape they have defensively I feel is improved than it was previously but the men and women inside that will enable you down.

‘It would not matter how properly you mentor the shape, if you get uncovered one particular on one particular or defenders make blunders – as we noticed in that activity from Manchester Town and from Brighton – then you might be just likely to get punished. They just need defenders with improved concentration.’

While the defence remains a shambles, challenges with regards to the mentality of Arsenal’s gamers must also be settled instantly. It continues to charge them on considerably far too quite a few situations, and that would not look like transforming whenever before long.

And Guendouzi now personifies the problems that encounter Arteta. There is considerably far too huge a comfort zone at the Emirates, and the Frenchman’s early yrs at the club highlight that.

Soon after briefly bursting onto the scene in north London underneath Unai Emery immediately after signing from Lorient for £8million, things have hardly ever been the very same considering the fact that.

He was signed as one particular for the future at the Emirates, but his early performances altered the believed course of action inside the club and he continued to be thrown into the beginning XI.

But as he attained much more knowledge and much more believe in, his kind and maturity amounts seem to be to have someway dropped massively. From currently being the jewel in Arsenal’s crown for most of past season, he now finds himself struggling with an uncertain future underneath Arteta. It can be a sudden tumble from grace for a youngster that so much was predicted of. 

Prior to he starts off throwing his bodyweight about on the pitch and acting as a nuisance to his opponents, he must look at himself in the mirror first. He has not yet designed it and his character leaves a whole lot to be sought after.

Arteta has previously experienced a operate-in with the uncooked midfielder, leaving him out of his squad to encounter Newcastle again in February immediately after demonstrating a terrible mind-set in the course of the club’s winter season instruction camp in Dubai. For a player at the mere age of 21 with his occupation still in entrance of him, you simply cannot act like that. 

Guendouzi compensated the price tag, and things certainly haven’t been the very same considering the fact that underneath Arteta, foremost to considerations in excess of his future. 

His participate in-acting on the pitch – likely down far too uncomplicated underneath strain, arguing with opponents, finding in the referee’s encounter – is starting to be considerably far too much and Saturday’s incident with Maupay was the most current insult to Arteta. 

Previous Arsenal midfielder Perry Groves has urged supervisor Mikel Arteta to make sure Guendouzi falls into line. ‘I’ve heard a few things about Guendouzi’s mind-set. You want your gamers to be self-assured and a little bit arrogant on the pitch but he is not great plenty of to go about providing individuals verbals,’ Groves instructed talkSPORT.

‘If Maupay’s been finding it in the ear all activity from Guendouzi and he then goes and scores the winner, he is right to say, “What have you obtained to say now?” Another person, whether it truly is Arteta, the coaching staff members or the senior gamers, needs to inform Guendouzi to wind his neck in.’ 

If Guendouzi desires to make it in north London, then he must handle his character. If not, the warm-headed Frenchman will be on his way out.

But we shouldn’t be far too surprised to see Guendouzi act like this when those about him lack that true leadership possibly. It speaks volumes that the captain of the club, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, was specified the armband thinking of he is probable to be out the exit door in the around future.

Throughout the staff, it is incredibly challenging to see in which the leadership arrives from. 

Granit Xhaka, stripped of the captaincy immediately after his controversial row with enthusiasts immediately after they jeered him off from Crystal Palace earlier in the season, remains potentially the stand-out determine in the dressing home.

Lengthy absent are the times of Tony Adams, Vieira, Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell and Co – true winners who would go away definitely everything on the pitch and set the staff right before their particular person performances.

It has been a challenge that has hardly ever thoroughly been tackled considering the fact that Vieira departed for Juventus again in 2005, which in the long run led to Wenger’s drop and continues to demonstrate the downfall of the club.

When the likely receives tricky, Arsenal crumble just like they did from Brighton. It can be the very same outdated tale.

When Arteta stepped into the warm seat, he understood he experienced loads of work to do… but potentially he now understands the process is much harder than previously believed.

He experienced absent from working with reigning Leading Le
ague champions Manchester Town underneath arguably the ideal supervisor in soccer, in Pep Guardiola, to getting the reins himself at a club speedily declining. It was a courageous choice, one particular that should be massively admired. 

But though it seems all doom and gloom about the Emirates at existing, it should be said that there might properly be some light-weight at the end of the tunnel.

While Arsenal have faltered in the course of an incredibly turbulent season, Arsenal’s younger abilities have shone.

The likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have been jewels in Arsenal’s crown this season, though Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson are absolutely types to view out for in the future.

There is loads of talent coming through and if Arteta can carry on to combine them into the beginning XI, then the future could be dazzling.

Even so, Arteta must handle Arsenal’s lack of leadership. For the club’s golden children, they need figureheads about them to assist them shine. If not, their abilities could before long go to squander.