Is Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka’s reputation for poor discipline deserved?

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Granit Xhaka claims that he has been unfairly portrayed as a ‘brainless idiot’ due to his disciplinary record since arriving in England. In the Premier League this season, the Swiss international has received three yellow cards and two red cards. His tackling style has been criticised by certain pundits, who believe that it is lazy and needs to be corrected on the training ground. Sky Sports report quotes from the central midfielder and he has been hurt by some of the comments made about him.

“What hurt me a lot was the source of the criticism and its form. It didn’t come from my club, but from former players who don’t know me any more than they know Arsenal,”

“People who don’t know anything about how I work attacked me by making me look like a brainless idiot and nasty.”

The reputation that he has earned throughout his career is now proceeding him and although his two red cards were deserved, it is unfair to suggest that his discipline is something to worry about. The Swiss international averages 1.44 fouls committed every 90 minutes, which is around the number expected for a player in his role. To provide some context, N’Golo Kane commits 1.49 fouls per ninety minutes, while Ander Herrera commits 1.83 per ninety minutes, both more than the Arsenal man.

Xhaka is one of the few Arsenal midfielders that are capable of winning a tackle and retrieving the ball back, therefore he will go in for more challenges than other players on the team. This season, he has averaged 2.36 tackles won per ninety minutes, showing that he wins a tackle more often than he commits a foul. Ball winning midfielders are expected to be aggressive and combative in their role, therefore on occasion, the 24-year-old will go in too hard and give away a free-kick. It is important for Arsenal that he manages to ignore the criticism and continue to do what is required for the team.

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His last performance against West Brom suggested that he is having difficulty doing that. The entire Arsenal team didn’t perform as well as they can, but Xhaka’s hesitance out of possession was noticeable. He didn’t attempt a single tackle, a concerning stat for a player that is expected to win the ball back in the centre of the park. In possession, he was fantastic and it could be that Arsene Wenger changed his role. However, this match, coupled with his comments in the media, do show that his disciplinary record is weighing heavily on his mind.

Although he has earned a reputation for his lack of discipline, it is important that he continues to make tackles in the middle of the pitch. Arsenal are approaching the most important run of games in their recent history as they attempt to qualify for the Champions League and they will need every player to get stuck in. The media have portrayed him as a walking yellow card and it could be that he receives a few undeserved bookings over the coming weeks. He needs to just accept those and continue with his natural game.

Featured image: All rights reserved by Stuart MacFarlane