Granit Xhaka

[Losmeister]

"walk away from his episode in our documentary liking him.

So I wish him all the best and hopefully that translates to him doing better for the club."

he must be a really professional, decent chap, great teamate... thats the only explanation that i can think of.

[theHotHead]

Still not suited to the Prem, even if I don't dislike him as much as I used to. I want him gone.

[#ST]

He's playing better but he's always a liability. He has had great moments before but he just cant stop making silly mistakes/get silly cards.

IF I could trust Arteta to bench him Id be more than happy to have him as cover. But since Mikel cannot be trusted, he has to go.

Will he go? No he wont. Will he be benched? Nopes. Will be make a very costly error losing us points? 100%.

[Fran Solo]

He's playing better but he's always a liability. He has had great moments before but he just cant stop making silly mistakes/get silly cards.

IF I could trust Arteta to bench him Id be more than happy to have him as cover. But since Mikel cannot be trusted, he has to go.

Will he go? No he wont. Will he be benched? Nopes. Will be make a very costly error losing us points? 100%.

Yes, he is much better now. And he should be because all the players around him are better than the ones we have before. Ramsdale communicates better than Leno or Cech; Saliba and Gabriel are more solid than Koscielny, Mustafi, Holding, Sokratis, etc; Zinchenko is actually a midfielder and help Xhaka in the midfield battle, Partey is the best DM we have for years, Odergaard always presses and Martinelli is defensively very good when we don't have the ball.

[thebigbangtheo]

A couple of unfortunate injuries to Partey and Elneny, and the I.Q of some Arsenal supporters suddenly plummets like a rock. Where is the logical thought process of once again trying to force a square peg like Xhaka into the round hole that is the defensive midfielder position even as an emergency alternative?

Pointing out that he has never even been a bonafide DM, appears to be an exercise in futility when measured against the overriding factors that he physically looks the part, isn't afraid of a tackle and can operate from the base of midfield.

It has obviously just been nothing but a happy accident that his no longer being crowbarred into that position for us, has seen his performance and productivity improve and increase exponentially in now being deployed from left central midfield instead.

However, that does not fit well with the narrative of him needing to be removed from north London asap due to being the root cause of all arsenal's failings since his recruitment, alongside that of Arteta being no more than the Igor to Guardiola's Dr. Frankenstein.

So rather than leave that functioning component of the team alone, of course it makes more sense to revert back to what we know doesn't work as required, as the often quoted definition of madness simply wouldn't apply in this instance.

[Est83]

It's fair to say he should never have been used as a DM if he was never a DM in the first place (never knew that myself, although I only ever heard of him as a deep lying playmaker, but the sideways passing suggest that he wasn't even that), but you can't deny that he's been a complete liability at times.

We're not talking bad challenges, we're talking brain fart rash challenges, often at times where they simply weren't needed. Either in dangerous positions (giving away free kicks and scoring opportunities), or at times where it was unnecessary due to there not being much of a threat (again leading to a free shot at goal for the opposition), or simply a red card challenge leaving the rest of the team in a sh*t situation.

This is what he's become known for, and it's not undeserved.

He's also been slow in transition and hasn't showed 10% of the range of passing he's shown for Switzerland.

He fully deserves the distrust of fans, and it's easy to see why many want to see the back of him.

However, he's been shown to be someone that's incredibly important behind the scenes, has improved massively in his slightly altered new role, and has always given 110%... you can't knock his commitment. I'm not gonna not pay the man his dues.

But objectively, whether you love him or hate him, is he really good enough to be the first name on the team sheet when we're looking for CL qualification as a minimum?

[VCC]

It's fair to say he should never have been used as a DM if he was never a DM in the first place (never knew that myself, although I only ever heard of him as a deep lying playmaker, but the sideways passing suggest that he wasn't even that), but you can't deny that he's been a complete liability at times.

We're not talking bad challenges, we're talking brain fart rash challenges, often at times where they simply weren't needed. Either in dangerous positions (giving away free kicks and scoring opportunities), or at times where it was unnecessary due to there not being much of a threat (again leading to a free shot at goal for the opposition), or simply a red card challenge leaving the rest of the team in a sh*t situation.

This is what he's become known for, and it's not undeserved.

He's also been slow in transition and hasn't showed 10% of the range of passing he's shown for Switzerland.

He fully deserves the distrust of fans, and it's easy to see why many want to see the back of him.

However, he's been shown to be someone that's incredibly important behind the scenes, has improved massively in his slightly altered new role, and has always given 110%... you can't knock his commitment. I'm not gonna not pay the man his dues.

But objectively, whether you love him or hate him, is he really good enough to be the first name on the team sheet when we're looking for CL qualification as a minimum?

He wont be going anywhere, the one possitive he has above all else is his fitness he is rarely injured, Partey is made of glass he is the closest i have seen to diaby injury wise, love him or hate him and i are no fan of Xhaka but he is always fit it seems

[Arsenal Tone]

Bet he starts as the deepest midfielder tonight.

[theHotHead]

It's fair to say he should never have been used as a DM if he was never a DM in the first place (never knew that myself, although I only ever heard of him as a deep lying playmaker, but the sideways passing suggest that he wasn't even that), but you can't deny that he's been a complete liability at times.

We're not talking bad challenges, we're talking brain fart rash challenges, often at times where they simply weren't needed. Either in dangerous positions (giving away free kicks and scoring opportunities), or at times where it was unnecessary due to there not being much of a threat (again leading to a free shot at goal for the opposition), or simply a red card challenge leaving the rest of the team in a sh*t situation.

This is what he's become known for, and it's not undeserved.

He's also been slow in transition and hasn't showed 10% of the range of passing he's shown for Switzerland.

He fully deserves the distrust of fans, and it's easy to see why many want to see the back of him.

However, he's been shown to be someone that's incredibly important behind the scenes, has improved massively in his slightly altered new role, and has always given 110%... you can't knock his commitment. I'm not gonna not pay the man his dues.

But objectively, whether you love him or hate him, is he really good enough to be the first name on the team sheet when we're looking for CL qualification as a minimum?

Cracking post and spot on. Xhaka has indeed earned his reputation, its not the case that Arsenal fans have been unfair. Yes in recent months he has looked less dimwit and more footballer but as I seem to have to be doing far more than I should have to on this forum, its to remind people that we are Arsenal football club. Even these revitalised Xhaka performances place him in the "average" category - for a club of our size and stature in the game. That won't take us back to where we need to be. With Xhaka and Elneny playing large numbers of games we lack the quality required of a club aiming for top honours.

[jayramfootball]

It's fair to say he should never have been used as a DM if he was never a DM in the first place (never knew that myself, although I only ever heard of him as a deep lying playmaker, but the sideways passing suggest that he wasn't even that), but you can't deny that he's been a complete liability at times.

We're not talking bad challenges, we're talking brain fart rash challenges, often at times where they simply weren't needed. Either in dangerous positions (giving away free kicks and scoring opportunities), or at times where it was unnecessary due to there not being much of a threat (again leading to a free shot at goal for the opposition), or simply a red card challenge leaving the rest of the team in a sh*t situation.

This is what he's become known for, and it's not undeserved.

He's also been slow in transition and hasn't showed 10% of the range of passing he's shown for Switzerland.

He fully deserves the distrust of fans, and it's easy to see why many want to see the back of him.

However, he's been shown to be someone that's incredibly important behind the scenes, has improved massively in his slightly altered new role, and has always given 110%... you can't knock his commitment. I'm not gonna not pay the man his dues.

But objectively, whether you love him or hate him, is he really good enough to be the first name on the team sheet when we're looking for CL qualification as a minimum?

Cracking post and spot on. Xhaka has indeed earned his reputation, its not the case that Arsenal fans have been unfair. Yes in recent months he has looked less dimwit and more footballer but as I seem to have to be doing far more than I should have to on this forum, its to remind people that we are Arsenal football club. Even these revitalised Xhaka performances place him in the "average" category - for a club of our size and stature in the game. That won't take us back to where we need to be. With Xhaka and Elneny playing large numbers of games we lack the quality required of a club aiming for top honours.

I agree he earned his bad reputation in his previous role, but playing further forward he has been very good - not average.

[theHotHead]

We have different ideas on what constitutes a "good or very good" rating. He does nothing outstandingly to warrant being called very good. He doesn't break up counter attacks, he doesn't play offensive through balls that puts players in on goal. He doesn't bring the ball out on a counter, he can't dribble or beat players. He doesn't score free kicks, he doesn't dominate aerially. Think about the attributes that constitute a good or very good CM, Xhaka has hardly any of them. He does safe sideways passing and some forward passes to wide players.

As a fellow CM I don't see what he does that makes him very good, in the games he has been playing.

[Est83]

It's fair to say he should never have been used as a DM if he was never a DM in the first place (never knew that myself, although I only ever heard of him as a deep lying playmaker, but the sideways passing suggest that he wasn't even that), but you can't deny that he's been a complete liability at times.

We're not talking bad challenges, we're talking brain fart rash challenges, often at times where they simply weren't needed. Either in dangerous positions (giving away free kicks and scoring opportunities), or at times where it was unnecessary due to there not being much of a threat (again leading to a free shot at goal for the opposition), or simply a red card challenge leaving the rest of the team in a sh*t situation.

This is what he's become known for, and it's not undeserved.

He's also been slow in transition and hasn't showed 10% of the range of passing he's shown for Switzerland.

He fully deserves the distrust of fans, and it's easy to see why many want to see the back of him.

However, he's been shown to be someone that's incredibly important behind the scenes, has improved massively in his slightly altered new role, and has always given 110%... you can't knock his commitment. I'm not gonna not pay the man his dues.

But objectively, whether you love him or hate him, is he really good enough to be the first name on the team sheet when we're looking for CL qualification as a minimum?

He wont be going anywhere, the one possitive he has above all else is his fitness he is rarely injured, Partey is made of glass he is the closest i have seen to diaby injury wise, love him or hate him and i are no fan of Xhaka but he is always fit it seems

I agree, just responding to Thebigbangtheo. Amongst the current crop, particularly with his recent performances, he's definitely in the starting line up every time.

But 1: he deserves the distrust and bad rep, and 2: he's not good enough to get us where we need to be.

I've been very critical of him, but I'm far from a Xhaka hater. He's been playing really well and I'm not against him staying. But if the thought of Nketia being our starting striker (before Jesus's arrival) worries people, then so should Xhaka being a starting CM. Especially with a DM next to him that's always injured and forcing him to play the DM role.

Ben White to start as DM tonight with Tomi back at RB.

[thebigbangtheo]

It's fair to say he should never have been used as a DM if he was never a DM in the first place (never knew that myself, although I only ever heard of him as a deep lying playmaker, but the sideways passing suggest that he wasn't even that), but you can't deny that he's been a complete liability at times.

We're not talking bad challenges, we're talking brain fart rash challenges, often at times where they simply weren't needed. Either in dangerous positions (giving away free kicks and scoring opportunities), or at times where it was unnecessary due to there not being much of a threat (again leading to a free shot at goal for the opposition), or simply a red card challenge leaving the rest of the team in a sh*t situation.

This is what he's become known for, and it's not undeserved.

He's also been slow in transition and hasn't showed 10% of the range of passing he's shown for Switzerland.

He fully deserves the distrust of fans, and it's easy to see why many want to see the back of him.

However, he's been shown to be someone that's incredibly important behind the scenes, has improved massively in his slightly altered new role, and has always given 110%... you can't knock his commitment. I'm not gonna not pay the man his dues.

But objectively, whether you love him or hate him, is he really good enough to be the first name on the team sheet when we're looking for CL qualification as a minimum?

Personally, I'm of the opinion that Wenger's recruitment of Xhaka in itself was pretty much like the steam whistle blowing on an old time locomotive to signal that it was approaching the station at the end of the line.

Not so much as to disrespectfully indicate that senility was now playing a role in his thinking, but more a case of him either failing or refusing to recognise that a tiredness had started to seep into his sharp and innovative cognitive abilities, or worse, him actually being oblivious to the fact.

Xhaka was brought in to cover the loss of Cazorla at the beginning of his injury nightmare, as whilst not in the same fashion as the Spaniard, he was also a DLP able to accurately transition the ball forward via his range of passing and similarly likely to contribute goals and goalscoring opportunities.

Unfortunately, Coquelin's form and effectiveness also fell off a cliff around that time and the seed was planted that due to the robust and physical nature of his game style coupled to his liking for a tackle, Xhaka could equally address that loss of an enforcer in midfield and effectively kill two birds with one stone.

As doesn't need to be dissected, Xhaka did not morph into the equivalent of Marcel Desailly in his pomp and in essence proved to be more akin to a band-aid being placed over a bullet hole in the chest.

Although an indictment of Le Professor's fading star, it cannot be legitimately argued that there was no method to the madness when considering his vision in having restructured the games of Henry, Lauren, Cazorla,Van Persie, Cole, Adebayor, not to mention turning the often turgid football we'd been served up before he arrived, into the swashbuckling beautiful game we're now addicted to, or the task that would have stumped Hercules himself in changing a perennial loser into a serial winner as he did with Sol Campbell.

[Zenith]

[FrustratedGooner]

The Amazon documentary and him playing more forward has really made me like him. Happy for the turnaround / used better.