Analysis

Granit Xhaka not available against Manchester United; Jose Mourinho should be worried about Matteo Guendouzi threat

By Utsav Mehta

Posted on December 4, 2018

Arsenal skipper Granit Xhaka will not be available for Arsenal’s visit to Old Trafford when they face Manchester United on Wednesday. As the Swiss international picked up a yellow card against Tottenham Hotspur, he will be suspended due to number of yellow cards he has collected this season.

Granit Xhaka has been an influential figure in the centre of the park for Unai Emery, playing alongside Lucas Torreira.

SO WHAT NOW?

When Arsene Wenger brought Xhaka to Arsenal from Borussia Monchengladbach, he was initially used alongside Aaron Ramsey though that partnership didn’t work out well as the midfield was run-out on regular basis due to lack of a genuine defensive midfielder.

The arrival of Lucas Torreira and his partnership with Granit Xhaka has worked very well for the Gunners. The Swiss skipper has found himself comfortable around his Uruguayan counterpart.

MUST READ: 5 reasons why duo of Xhaka-Torreira will be successful midfield pivot for Arsenal

But Jose Mourinho should not be too happy over learning absence of Granit Xhaka and Unai Emery’s dilemma over selection.

Arsenal have a gem in Matteo Guendouzi, who signed for Arsenal from Lorient this summer and he sure has turned out to be Sven Mislintat’s masterclass.

The Frenchman had impressed The Gooners and probably everyone who have watched him around the globe – since he donned Arsenal’s jersey for the first time against Boreham Wood in pre-season.

His impressive pre-season was rewarded with being named in the starting eleven for the Gunners in their opening Premier League match against defending Champions Manchester City. He surely lived more than expectations against the mighty Cityzens.

Full of composure, intelligence and technical quality, Guendouzi looked right at home playing under Unai Emery.

WATCH: BEST OF MATTEO GUENDOUZI

In fact with Matteo Guendouzi at the helm – Jose Mourinho has to worry about his cleverness over passing. When in possession of the ball – passing is one of Guendouzi’s strongest attribute, he knows when to pass short and when to go long. He can build up the play with short passes and when right opportunities arises – he is someone who won’t hesitate to lay through the ball forward.

One of the scenerios where Guendouzi showed his passing ability was when the Frenchman produced stunning beauty through pass to pick out Hector Bellerin’s run at Stamford Bridge in the Gameweek 2. The pass was timed perfectly and the ball release completely complemented Hector Bellerin’s run. The vision, technique and timing needed for these type of passes – tells us alot about him.

Manchester United’s defence will have to be up on their heels – with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexander Lacazette making defence breaking runs at regular intervals.

Guendouzi also knows to keep up with the pace of the game, though mainly he exactly knows ‘How to control the pace of the game’.

With Guendouzi – Unai Emery also has options in Mohamed Elneny and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, though the Frenchman is likely to be considered for the Man Utd fixture.