Questions about the futures of Matteo Guendouzi and Mesut Ozil were not unexpected at Mikel Arteta’s press conference this afternoon.
The Arsenal boss is preparing for the game against Norwich tomorrow night, our first home game since the lockdown was eased, and neither player featured in the FA Cup win over Sheffield United.
Guendouzi was excluded from the squad for the second successive game after reported disciplinary issues, while Ozil was missing because of a reported back injury, and has yet to play a single minute since the resumption of football.
“I’ve said before that for every player in the squad my job is to get the maximum out of them, to try help them, support them.
“And if they are willing, everyone is welcome.”
Pressed if he thought the duo were willing, he continued, “I always hope that the players want to give their best.”
The pair are at opposite end of their career trajectories, and Arteta was asked if he thought Guendouzi was failing to make the most of his opportunity at Arsenal.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“When Arsenal picked him to come here it’s because they could obviously see the potential and the qualities that Matteo has.
“He’s a really young player and he’s still in development. When you are developing, the curve is not normally so much straightforward, you have to have some bumps and you have to adapt to it.
“Then in the process, you have to find the things you’ve done right and the things you’ve done wrong, like any other player.”
Tomorrow’s squad will be interesting, with Guendouzi’s place handed to youngster Matt Smith for the last two fixtures. Will he keep it?
I’d prefer for them both to go. Especially Ozil, if we could use his wages we’d get a few younger, hungrier, fitter players and do a lot better.
Guendouzi I had high hopes for but he isn’t the beast that we need in midfield.
Heh. You make getting a player of Ozil’s quality in sound like nipping down to the corner shop for a few beer tinnies. My son is younger than Ozil and (with the players current bad back and poor morale due to having to play in front of a back line of so many numpties) probably fitter and hungrier than the player is at the moment. That doesn’t make my lad a better prospect in Arsenal’s midfield than Ozil. You know, that little thing called a world-class skill set, tends to set them apart, as much as I’d love to see… Read more »
Qwaliteee, though I agree with your fitter/younger assessment, I think we can all agree that Mesut has that world class skill set but it just doesn’t come to the fore enough. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, his hunger for the game died after die Mannschaft retirement. His stats are not close to what he should be delivering when fit (I’m not going to bring the 350k/- into this rn). I’d really love for Matteo to stay, I hope the Brighton incident isn’t making him be foolish or arrogant, he’s a good player and in the makings… Read more »
My argument has always been this: the lad is in his final days at the club and, thanks to Wenger, costing us a lot of dough – so for heaven’s sake use him! I could understand people’s reservations about playing Ozil if the rest of our midfielders were pulling up trees – but they’re not. The team is crying out for some vision, some creativity – Ozil is STILL the best player we have to provide that, providing he has players with the ability to read the game the same way he does – Torreira, Pepe, Auba and Laca. I’m… Read more »
Mad analogy Sir, Who the fuck is your son in the world ??♂️?
I’ve met some clueless thick cunts on this page, but you take the biscuit.
AMN is much less of a beast than Guendouzi so you want the club to spend another 72 million on a player?
Now for £15-20M (his yearly wages) you don’t get a “few younger, hungried, fitter player”. In 2010, you could get an Özil for even less (Real paid 17M € after his 2010 WC and his U-21 European title). Now… I read Guendouzi could cost £40M…
We would pay the wages of 4 or more fit hungry players with his salary.
Yes, but there are players and there are players. As Alex has tried to explain to you, you could probably go shopping at Bishop’s Stortford FC or Tilbury Dockers Union FC, but not really for players required to get us back in the top four. NOW do you comprehend…….?! Dear Lord…….
I’ll let the voting help you think who is comprehending properly. Once you do, let us know.
We won’t save his salary cost if & when he leaves – we either pay him off in one very large lump sum, or we heavily subsidise his salary at a.n. other club
If arsenal management don’t care about ozil playing, why should we? Leave him…
Well either you or Arteta is telling porkies. Given the above article, I know who I’d trust…..
Guendouzi’s issue is all from the incident against Brighton or is there something else?
Overall I’ve had this feeling like he’s the very definition of an entitled millennial. He has all the ingredients to make it in the highest level of football. He just needs to have that professional mindset hammered into him.
Sounds like it’s a behind the door issue based on Arteta’s quotes. Seems like he isn’t giving it his all in training from this quote. If it was based on Brighton, I’m sure Arteta would have said otherwise
True.
I hope Arteta manages to sort him out. I feel like it’s too soon to write him off. Maybe if it continues till the end of next season then fine. Arteta would have had over a year to try motivating him and if that still doesn’t cut it we should offload.
He’s not a millenial, he’s gen Z.
Yup my bad. Which is even worse.
Had my fair share of them in the office and it’s annoying finding young talent to nurture and eventually replace the aging staff in the office.
They tend to leave after small issues, simple personality clashes, 1-2 reprimands about work place conduct etc
OK boomer
Two words that perfectly describe why player discipline (not to mention the world at large) is in such a shit state at the moment. Out tonight at a rave, are we, spreading a bit more COVID around?
Player discipline?! Back in the good old days smoking, alcoholism, punch ups, and significant late-career weight gain were commonplace. The average gen Y/Z footballer is 10x more professional than those now aged 45/50+. You can often question the passion for their club, but rarely the dedication to their trade
Not even going to start with the wrongness of the rest of your reply. Get a grip. It was a light-hearted and very predictable quip, that’s all
The passion for their club during the game is what’s in question here, not their commitment to training and eating well, etc. Criticise George Graham and Wenger’s early teams all you want – they cared more about Arsenal Football Club than the current crop. As for the rest, if you can’t handle a bit of banter back, don’t fucking dish it out. Simple.
I didn’t mean to attack a whole generation. It’s just that from my recent observation, there’s seems to be a shortage of a professional mindset with young footballers. I grew up watching the 98 Arsenal team and the invincibles and you could see the winning mindset majority of the team had. It has slowly dripped out of the team. Cesc alluded to this during his Arsecast. It seems rare to find a Saka/Martinelli, the kid looks to have a good head on his shoulders. Nowadays you see things like Guendouzi, Rabiot, Lingard, Grealish, Hudson Adoi, AMN even to… Read more »
Why would you include Mbappe who grew up in a banlieue, became a World Cup winner at the age of 19, and is idolized in his home country and around the world
It must have been odd being born a 50 year old man with excellent office etiquette.
Bloody kids having to learn everything as they go, useless
I am 34 btw. Youngest in the office.
Did your “generation” not learn sarcasm or something
Does it matter that he’s gen z or millennial?? it doesn’t make him a bad footballplayer..
come on dude, you should be caring about what we do on the field. Not what we are or when we are born..
I love how Boomers talk about younger people being “snowflakes” but then they’re all offended when we talk about issues..
Guess what, we’re all different little snowflakes.
Would the “small issues” and “simple personality clashes” involve you by any chance?
Small office and I am actively trying to get some young blood in. I am 34 and the next youngest person in the office is 45 followed by people in their early 50s…
Doesn’t involve me but I do witness it alot. Interns talking back to the Executive director, scolding clients on the phone. (We supply small machinery to aviation companies)
Not too sound like a boomer but it’s been an issue in the last 3 years to keep anyone under 28 for more then 5 months? We may have gone through 5-7 fresh grads and nothing sticks.
I liked him. He came in, ran around, applied himself. Seemed like a breath of fresh air and energy, and someone very much for the future. I have no clue – this is just based on watching games – but he had some drive to him. A bit of that “beastness” that we’ve sorely been missing for years, letting everyone bully us. I can’t imagine the boss would keep him out because of Brighton. That kind of disciplinary action is dished out by the FA. I wonder what’s wrong – I want him to do well for us. And for… Read more »
Perhaps he realises that he is playing for a club that won’t challenge for a thing – unless there is a premiership mid-table trophy and is just pissed off with the situation…
He was playing for Lorient two seasons ago, he ought to remember that and buckle the fuck down.
You can’t keep a dog that randomly snaps at you
Needs breaking in or he’ll leave and learn in his own time after life drills him.
If said dog bites the legs off a burglar, you’d probably still have it put down.
So basically Arteta is telling Guendouzi to apply himself 100% in training and behind the scenes or he doesn’t get involved/thrown out the door.
No nonsense. Clear message. We needed that compared to the crap Emery gave us in interviews
Emery said exactly the same in press conferences.
Saying and doing are two very different things.
Arteta is doing.
I want them to be a success at the club, but do they want it themselves? Or do they just want their paycheck? They just run around like headless chickens.
I just read what Paul Merson had to say about Özil and his situation, a good read. https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/12017843/what-is-going-on-with-ozil
Let’s get the deadwood out of our club and rebuild!
Oh, yes, Paul Merson, the one who kept on spitting on Arsène,the one who knows nothing but speaks more than the ones who know. Btw, how much is he paid for this? Too much anyway.
Thats true, him and Ozil are kind of in the same boat.. They get payed to do nothing.
I love Merse to bits, but it’s a cruel fact of life that there has never been any danger of him being selected to go on BBC’s ‘Eggheads.’ Stick to what you’re best at, Merse – dissing the Spuds. If you can’t see we need Ozil at the moment, then maybe it’s time to knock the punditry on the head mate.
What Merse said was, unusually for him, spot on.
This team isn’t good enough to accommodate Ozil, so it’s just impossible to see where he fits. And as Merse say’s who is going to take a £100-150 grand a week pay cut to play somewhere else?
I’m in no way Ozil’s biggest fan but the club, as it has done for years, has failed to build a team worthy of it’s biggest talents. Ozil’s just at the end of a long line of players that stretch back from Van Persie to Nasri to Fabregas to Adebayor
Good post, fair points made. Ozil’s frustration of late has largely been the shit he has had to try and play alongside. Xhaka, Mustafi, Kolasinac and Luiz immediately spring to mind, but we’ve not had a decent defence in over a decade. If you put a Rolls Royce engine in a Skoda, it would probably give up after a while too.
Guendouzi looks to me like a 2020 version of Denilson. I want to see more energy tracking back, more aggression in the challenge and more creativity/goals going forward. Still not convinced he is of the required quality for Arsenal.
“We need different characters and qualities in this squad”.
All have to be mature, professional and intentional though (non negotiables)
Guendouzi has fighting spirit and a good engine, which Denilson never had The problem is he uses it in the wrong ways. His defensive body positioning and anticipation are awful and make him very easy to run through or jink past. He takes way too many touches trying to drive the team up the pitch, but just finds himself in cul-de-sacs, scrapping to keep hold of it. Pointless off the ball runs into obscure areas that leave him unable to defend counterattacks These are all fixable IF he gains the humility and self awareness that he’s just a… Read more »
Arsenal are a mess off and on the pitch.
I would keep Nketiah, Saka, Martinelli, Smith Rowe, Willock, Nelson, Leno and Tierney and sell the rest. Rebuild the squad around these players.
If we had any money that is…
In other words, you’d have us playing in the Third Division at the drop of a hat. Thank Christ you’re not in the hot seat.
Ozil is no longer passionate about d game. He is only after his 350k a week wage. Arsenal lost means nothing to him
Guendouzi will be there in the next game. Probably just disciplinary measures. He will return!
GWS Ozil …