Nuno Tavares says playing against one former Arsenal star is just ‘the worst’, he ‘gets into your head’

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Nuno Tavares is still on Arsenal’s books.

The Portuguese full-back joined the Gunners from Benfica in the summer of 2021, and he was viewed as a big talent at the time.

Tavares had a good start to life at Arsenal and even kept the then-first-choice left-back Kieran Tierney on the bench for a few games.

However, Tavares’ form fell off a cliff in the second half of the campaign, and he has spent three loan spells away from Arsenal since.

Now at Lazio, Tavares is flying, and he is teammates with one former Arsenal player there.

Nuno Tavares shares what Matteo Guendouzi is like to play with and against

Matteo Guendouzi has always been a very interesting character.

The Frenchman joined the Gunners from Lorient in the summer of 2018, when Unai Emery was at the helm. Nobody had really heard of him then, but he became a star.

Guendouzi became a big hit at Arsenal in his debut season, playing 48 games in all competitions. Everyone thought he was going to be the future of the club’s midfield.

However, after Mikel Arteta arrived, Guendouzi’s discipline became an issue, and the Frenchman was banished from the squad.

After a great spell at Marseille, where Guendouzi was teammates with Tavares, the two of them have been reunited at Lazio in Italy.

Tavares has claimed that playing with the midfielder is great, but he is a nightmare to play against.

He told CBS Sports: “To play with him is amazing, to play against is the worst thing, because of his personality and the way he plays, the way he gets into your head if he plays against you.”

How Tavares has been faring on loan at Lazio

Tavares was always a brilliant talent, but he just struggled to deliver consistently throughout a season.

The Portuguese defender had a torrid time in the second half of his debut campaign at Arsenal, and the same happened when he went on loan to Marseille.

However, Tavares seems to have found a home for himself at Lazio.

The 25-year-old has provided nine assists in 25 games in all competitions this season, eight of which have come in the Serie A. Nobody in the entire Italian top-flight has managed more.

That’s a stunning statistic, especially when you consider that Tavares is a defender.