“We would be miles better” – Arsenal fans believe 23-year-old star shipped out of Emirates ‘could have been useful’ after defeat to Southampton
Arsenal fans expressed dismay at the absence of Matteo Guendouzi after their 1-0 loss to Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday (16 April). The Frenchman is currently on loan at Ligue 1 side Marseille.
Jan Bednarek's 44th-minute strike was enough to sink the Gunners, who lost for the third game in a row. It was yet another setback in their Champions League push as Manchester United moved into fifth place following their own victory over Norwich City.
The Gunners held 75% of the ball, completing four of the passes Southampton had made and mustering more than twice as many shots as them.
Arsenal fail to take advantage of Tottenham's slip up after facing a 1-0 defeat to Southampton 😓
Top 4 race is still wide open! https://t.co/KVs7XYVqNi
But their failure to find the net regardless was frustrating for Mikel Arteta, who's falling short in his ambition of restoring the club back into the top four yet again.
Arsenal weren't without their chances in the game, but Southampton 'keeper Fraser Forster made a string of saves in the second half to protect his side's lead. With derby rivals Tottenham Hotspur slipping up earlier in the day against Brighton, this was a golden chance for the Gunners to capitalize on.
After the loss, many Arsenal fans took to social media to express their longing for Matteo Guendouzi, who's currently turning heads at Marseille on loan.They felt that the Frenchman would have had a much better game than Albert Lokonga who failed to press efficiently.
Here are some of the best Twitter reactions:
can’t believe we got rid of guendouzi for this jareer Lokonga
We would be miles better with our loanees back. I stand by that. Ainsley torreira Guendouzi Saliba
@VipArsenal Guendouzi could've been useful right about now.
I’ll take Guendouzi and Torreira back any day of the day week rn
Lokonga is not half the player Guendouzi is.
I can't believe I am saying this, I miss Guendouzi 😭😭😭😭😭😖😖😖😖
Arsenal loanee Matteo Guendouzi is having a great season at Marseille
Matteo Guendouzi, who initially impressed with Arsenal, became an estranged figure later on, witnessing a decline after Unai Emery's departure. He failed to impress on loan at Hertha Berlin too last season, playing only 24 Bundesliga games but seems to have found his best form on his return to Ligue 1.
In 47 games for Marseille this season, the 23-year-old has scored four times and given 14 assists in all competitions, including three goals and eight assists in the league. His contributions have helped Marseille reach second position in the table behind Paris Saint-Germain. They have helped the team achieve the second-best defense in the league so far, conceding 29 goals.
The Ligue 1 title seems to be out of their grasp due to the 12-point gap between them and the summit. However, they have reached the semi-finals of the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League and will play Dutch side Feyenoord.