Arteta warns Guimaraes: 'this is the level' after winning goal vs Leeds

Credit: Getty Images

Bruno Guimaraes needed just a handful of minutes to make an instant impact on his Arsenal home debut, curling home a brilliant winner against Leeds. Mikel Arteta's response afterwards was not simply praise, but a warning.

The £75million summer signing came off the bench to finish a flowing move involving Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, striking from the edge of the area to settle a difficult afternoon for Arsenal. It mirrored his impact as a substitute against Sunderland last month, though it stood in sharp contrast to his first Premier League start for the club, a 3-0 defeat at Brighton in which he struggled and was hauled off.

Arteta sets the bar

Asked whether the strike against Leeds was further proof the Brazilian midfielder was worth the outlay, Arteta was quick to draw a line between the two performances rather than simply celebrate the goal.

'But he wasn't at that level against Brighton,' Arteta said. 'This is the level for Arsenal. Every week, every game, every minute, every action, you have to be at that level. At Brighton he wasn't, today was much better. He can still be much better than the games he has done.'

The Arsenal manager made clear the standard he is setting applies as much to himself as to any individual player. 'That's what we have to demand. This is what I demand of myself. I'm going to demand the same of the players, because if we do that it will raise the standards and we will be a better team.'

A disrupted start to life in north London

Guimaraes' early weeks at Arsenal have been far from straightforward. He joined only a couple of weeks before the start of the season following an extended break after the World Cup, and his preparation was further complicated by international duty, starting just one of Brazil's three matches under Carlo Ancelotti on a trip that took in Australia and India. Minor injuries have also limited his involvement.

Arteta pointed to that lack of a normal pre-season as the explanation for his limited league starts so far. 'The reality is that he went to Australia, then to India. He's still not in the best condition because he hasn't had a pre-season. So we thought ok, [start] the players that are more settled here. If we have to bring him in and change the game, do it.'

With Arsenal facing a packed schedule, including matches on Tuesday night and again the following Sunday, managing Guimaraes' workload carefully is likely to remain a priority. 'We know it's going to be a lot of demands for everybody so we better manage that well,' Arteta added, as reported by the Evening Standard.

How quickly Guimaraes can reach full fitness and consistency will go a long way toward determining how soon he becomes a regular starter in Arteta's midfield.