Much has been made of Granit Xhaka’s recent outburst towards the Arsenal fans and what his subsequent absence means for his future at the club but it’s worth analysing what impact losing the player from the Gunners midfield has had on the team in recent fixtures.
The Swiss international has divided opinion since the day he arrived from Borussia Monchengladbach but has been a key component in the club’s midfield, being selected regularly by both Unai Emery and Arsene Wenger before him.
Contrary to popular belief, Xhaka’s pass completion rate is superior to those of both Lucas Torreira and Joe Willock who many supporters would prefer to see in the middle of the park. The recent incident aside, there have been calls for the 27-year-old to be dropped by the Coach and they only intensified when it was announced he was to be given the captaincy on a full-time basis.
Against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, Emery opted to go with what looked like a diamond shape in midfield in order to accommodate Mesut Ozil and cater for the absence of Xhaka. Matteo Guendouzi was deployed at the foot of the diamond but as his heat map showed the young Frenchman spent a vast amount of time on the right-hand side subsequently vacating his position in front of the back four.
Despite the 20-year-old’s enthusiasm, his ill-discipline positionally is in complete contrast to that of Xhaka who, despite being substituted on the hour mark, spent the majority of his time in front of the back four which is likely to be exactly what Emery will have instructed.
Positional discipline
The Switzerland captain is often criticised for a lack of mobility and speed across the ground which in isolation is a fair stance to uphold. However, in order to maintain some form of balance in the middle of the park, positional discipline is key and, despite defending not coming naturally to the left-footed midfield player, he’s rarely caught too far out of position.
With Guendouzi and Torreira given license to step out of their positions and press, it becomes even more imperative that one of the Arsenal midfield players holds his position. Xhaka may not necessarily be suited to the role and that’s an entirely different debate but this highlights exactly why in the manager’s eyes he has been one of the first names on the team sheet.
Are Arsenal a better team without Xhaka in it?
Based on the performances versus Wolves and Vitoria S.C., the answer has to be no. Often players are thought of in higher regard when they’re absent but despite so many vehemently calling for him to be axed it’s impossible to argue the Gunners midfield displays have improved. In fact, they’ve been less structured, less creative and even more chaotic. The captaincy and the player’s recent actions aside, Xhaka warrants a place in the starting XI.