Martin Ødegaard has made a complete 180 after seeing Bruno Guimaraes at Arsenal
When Arsenal signed Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, a lot of Arsenal fans scurried to delete their old tweets. The Brazil international very quickly went from public enemy number one to being invited to the Arsenal cookout.
Arsenal players didn't avoid the past, either. They welcomed Bruno into the club by embracing the old rivalry they had with him on the pitch.
In a complete 180, Arsenal players and fans went from rolling their eyes at Bruno to clapping their hands for him.
Martin Ødegaard underpinned how Bruno Guimaraes has flipped his own script at Arsenal
Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard took it upon himself to praise Bruno after the Community Shield, alluding to the former fights they had on the pitch being left in the past now.
“Since the first day he came in, it has been such a natural thing,” said Ødegaard. “Although we had some big fights with him in the past, he has just come into the team as a real natural part of the team. And you can see his quality. He can win the ball, he’s a fighter, but he also has so much quality on the ball. He has that … he is so calm on the ball. He always takes the right amount of time and he finds the pass. It’s brilliant."
Bruno certainly has a short fuse, but that's something Arsenal knew better than most when they signed him. Ultimately, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and he isn't afraid to get physical, either on the ball or off it.
The only concern Arsenal will have is whether he can contain that when it matters the most. When tempers are flaring and Arsenal are involved in a hostile match they must win (which will almost certainly happen again this season), can Bruno maintain his composure then?
Clearly, Mikel Arteta believes in him. Ødegaard does too, and that's ultimately what matters the most. Physicality is not a bad thing, as long as it's maintained.
Arsenal did a splendid job last season for multiple reasons, but one achievement that isn't spoken about enough is how fairly they won the league. They operated defensively, but still didn't concede any red cards throughout the entirety of last season. Therefore, composure is something that Arsenal clearly value more as a squad these days.
Players can change. Granit Xhaka is the most recent, glaring example of that. When he first joined Arsenal, he was hot-tempered, but when he left the club, he bowed out with pride and with the fans by his side.
Anger and relentlessness are part of the sport. Any player who doesn't have that drive probably isn't at the highest level. However, the best players channel that anger, and that's exactly what Bruno will do at Arsenal this season.
The Gunners kick off their campaign against Coventry City on Friday evening. Given how pre-season has gone, Bruno will almost certainly start. It remains to be seen who will join him in the midfield, but my guess would be Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ødegaard.
