Eyebrows were raised on Sunday when Matteo Guendouzi was omitted from Arsenal's squad for the Premier League encounter with Newcastle United.
The French midfielder, a Gunners regular since joining from Lorient in 2018, was not even named among the substitutes at Emirates Stadium as goals from attacking quartet Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe, Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette secured an emphatic 4-0 victory - only their seventh of the season - to take Arsenal into the top half of the table.
Instead, Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos made his first top-flight appearance since November 2 in north London, lining up alongside Granit Xhaka and earning rave reviews for an accomplished and measured midfield performance.
In Pictures | Arsenal vs Newcastle | 16/02/2019
Quizzed about the reasons behind Guendouzi's surprise absence after that comprehensive home triumph, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta - who was effusive in his praise of "best player on the pitch" Ceballos - suggested that disciplinary issues could be part of the problem.
“The reason is that players who, in my opinion, are training better, behaving better and are more applied to deliver on the pitch, what we want, are the players selected," he told beIN Sports.
Guendouzi has made 77 total appearances across one-and-a-half seasons for Arsenal, including 17 starts in the Premier League this term.
The 20-year-old will hope to return to the matchday squad against Everton on Sunday and seems likely to play some part on Thursday night, when Arteta's side continue their Europa League campaign with a last-32, first-leg tie against Olympiacos in Greece.
