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The month of August proved to be a difficult one for the Gunners with head coach Unai Emery taking charge of the team since the departure of Arsene Wenger. The Gunners lost their first two premier league matches against Manchester City and Chelsea, before beating West Ham at the Emirates stadium by three goals to one.
However, the two games Arsenal lost to Manchester City and Chelsea respectively was not just all doom and gloom. There were positives, the fine performance of teenager Matteo Guendouzi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Matteo Guendouzi
According to Football Fancast, the French teenager made completed 81% of his passes in the game against Manchester City and against Chelsea, he even bettered it by completing 94% of his passes accurately, earning him plaudits from fans.
This is mightily impressive considering the fact he had just played for a second division team in France. The fans were quick to recognize this and voted him their player of the month via Arsenal official website:arsenal.com.
The 19-year-old impressed during his debut month in north London, becoming only the fourth teenager to start each of the first four Premier League matches after Nicolas Anelka, Cesc Fabregas, and Johan Djourou.
Stats credit: whoscored.com/guendouzi
#2 Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was yet another shining light of a very difficult month for the gunners. Although he was largely anonymous in the opening game of the season against Manchester City, he was arguably Arsenal's man of the match, even though the gunners lost the game to Chelsea 3 goals to two. He scored the first goal against Chelsea by rifling a low, first-time effort past Kepa Arrizabalaga to score our first Premier League goal under Unai Emery and provided the assist for Alex Iwobi for the equalizer in the first half.
However, it was his exquisite finish that earned him the goal of the month of August for Arsenal, as voted for by the fans. Mkhitaryan’s strike was the overwhelming winner with 61 percent of the votes cast, with Alex Iwobi's finish from the same game in second place, and Nacho Monreal's finish against West Ham United in third.
