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Manchester City kicked off the start of their Premier League title defence with a comprehensive 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium today. Despite all the positivity amongst Arsenal fans with regard to the appointment of Unai Emery as manager, not too many were expecting a miracle against the Premier League champions, who were coming off the back of one of the most dominant campaigns ever witnessed in the English top flight.
Pep Guardiola's side controlled the game in all major areas, and took their chances when it mattered. But despite being second best for most of the game, the Arsenal players showed periods of quality, leaving their fans optimistic of the potential that lies within this team, and the promising ideas that Emery has brought to the Emirates Stadium.
Among those positives was the performance of 19-year-old French midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi, who was making his competitive debut for the club. Signed from Lorient this summer for £7 million, he was very impressive in pre-season, displaying an excellent range of passing and an ability to retain possession when pressed by the opposition. Emery showed faith in the youngster by rewarding him with a place in the starting lineup against Manchester City, a decision which came as a surprise to many.
After all, Guardiola's high pressing, possession-based football terrorized many teams last season. Going toe-to-toe with their world-class midfielders would be a daunting task for any player, let alone a teenager who is new to English football.
The initial signs were not very promising, with Guendouzi looking shaky on the ball and being unable to execute many accurate forward passes. There is no denying that he was at fault for City's first goal, allowing Sterling to easily get past him and create space for a shot in a dangerous area of the pitch.
A few minutes before the goal, Sterling had managed to slip away from Guendouzi and fire a shot at goal, only to be denied by Petr Cech. City seemed to have identified a potential kink in Arsenal's armour, and reaped their reward in the form of that opening goal.
However, Guendouzi improved as the game progressed and worked tirelessly to serve as the bridge between Arsenal's defensive and attacking players, in addition to tracking back and providing cover during City's attacks.
At a very young age, he has displayed a very strong sense of positional understanding and was aware of his defensive responsibilities. In spite of the errors which he made, his overall performance should leave Arsenal fans optimistic for the future.
He had more touches of the ball than any other Arsenal player, which in itself speaks volumes. While it remains to be seen if Emery will continue to give him game time during the course of this season, he will continue to develop as a player and improve the strength and depth of Arsenal's spine.
