Granit Xhaka: The player Arsenal needed, not the player they wanted

Add as preferred source on Google

‘A striker, defender or defensive midfielder’. If you would have asked any Arsenal fan before the inception of the 2016/17 season what they wanted, this would have been their response. In fact, they got all three in Lucas Perez, Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka. It seemed the first time that Arsene Wenger responded to fans concerns and dipped into the transfer market, albeit in the dying moments for messers Mustafi and Perez.

Wenger’s purchase of Xhaka at the very start of the transfer window was a statement of intent. A big money move for a 23-year old who had captained the reputable Borussia Monchengladbach for a season and had represented Switzerland on numerous occasions. Here was a player in the Vieira/Gilberto Silva mould. An elegant mover of the ball with an ability to break up play and deliver no-nonsense challenges. An area in which Arsenal have been notoriously weak in recent seasons. After a couple of Man of the Match performances in Euro 2016 it seemed the world was at Granit’s feet. He was for all tense and purposes, the player Arsenal needed. It turns out, however, he is not the player Arsenal wanted.

Xhaka has certainly illustrated his capabilities in certain areas of the field. He has passed the ball more than any other Arsenal player this season. He has an uncanny ability to slow the game down when required and can turn defence to attack in the blink of an eye. His passing repertoire certainly marks him apart from his combative counterpart Coquelin. In addition, his ability to win challenges in the centre of the park makes him a more favourable option to the lightweight Ramsey and Cazorla. On paper, Xhaka has all the attributes to take Arsenal by their haunches and drag them to title winning immortality.

However, this perceived versatility is largely a fallacy. He is, in essence, a volatile and petulant man-child with an inability to learn from previous misdemeanours. Granit Xhaka would be better defined as a ‘walking yellow card’.

During his tenure at Arsenal, he has accumulated nine yellow cards and two red cards. Let’s put this into perspective. The Gunners are largely a possession side. They maintain the ball against the majority of the teams, which means that rash challenges are seldom needed in games. It might well be a case of mistiming a tackle or preventing a counterattack from time to time but in general; bookings are far from an inevitability in any Arsenal squad. Statistics of this ilk would be more in keeping with a Lee Cattermole type, rather than a ‘classy’ midfielder of Champions League quality.

It’s as if he cannot help himself. This disciplinary record has prevented him from playing in SEVEN games this season. That is more than 1/6 of Arsenal’s Premier League fixtures. For a team with title aspirations, can they really rely on someone who is constantly on the precipice? Just waiting to lunge in on the touchline when the opposing player is going nowhere. These tackles do not represent necessity, they represent idiocy. In an interview with Swiss Newspaper Blick he stated that he wasn’t a ‘brainless idiot’ but that he did need to ‘clean up his act’. Actions speak louder than words Granit, you should know that by now.

Against Manchester City he was awarded his ninth yellow card. One more and he relinquishes his place from the match day squad for another two games. In many ways, this booking cannot come soon enough. His positional sense against City left a lot to be desired and at least Arsenal can concentrate on finishing a game with eleven men. Alternatives to Xhaka? I’m no manager but it seems Wenger needs to dip into his fabled war chest once more. Oh Granit, we had such hopes for you…

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Genç Arsenal