Why Arsenal should offload Granit Xhaka in the January window
Arsenal’s performance in the ongoing season has been far from stellar. However, securing three points against Cardiff City last weekend was enough to send the Gunners into the top half of the table. The 3-2 scoreline does suggest that the victory wasn’t comprehensive by any stretch of the imagination. That said, few should have problems with the result, considering the players are still in the process of settling down under their new manager.
While some players like Aaron Ramsey, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira have excelled under Unai Emery’s style of play, others have found it quite testing.
And Granit Xhaka, who had joined Arsenal for a fee of £35million, probably headlines the list of players who have struggled. Xhaka has struggled to adapt to Emery’s pressing and philosophy of play and his game has looked below par, to be honest.
His inefficiency was on full display against Cardiff. Although he sent in the corner from which Shkodran Mustafi scored the opening goal, he was poor for the rest of the game. It was Xhaka’s attempted cross-field pass which was intercepted by the opposition and ultimately led to Cardiff’s equalizer. The decision-making was questionable, given the fact that he had plenty of easier options to keep the ball moving.
Let us take a look at the previous games. In the first match against Manchester City, Xhaka was dispossessed way too easily. Fernandinho’s physicality and the sharp City attackers were too much for the Swiss.
Although he is an excellent passer of the ball, Xhaka has struggled to find his range of passing and has failed to retain the ball long enough to find support from his teammates. He was guilty of giving the ball away too easily against Chelsea, often in crucial areas of the park and Emery had to take him off at half-time.
Xhaka has been sluggish on the ball and has rarely contributed to Emery’s pressing tactics. While it can be said that his fitness levels are not satisfactory, it must also be noted that the new boss has deployed him in an unfamiliar position.
The former Borussia Monchengladbach man is not a defensive midfielder by trade and yet, Emery has often utilized him as a box-to-box midfielder. He is not someone who likes to run, press and dispossess the opposition. Although he boasts good physical ability, Xhaka is more of an attack-minded central midfielder and is more likely to flourish in a free-flowing style of play. Doing so will not only allow him to pass the ball effortlessly to his teammates in the attacking third but it will also allow him to supply pinpoint through balls to the attackers up front.
New signing Lucas Torreira has looked much fitter and brighter in the limited game time he has received. In fact, he seems to be more suited for Emery’s tactics. The Uruguayan has clicked in his preferred deep-lying role in the midfield has been impressive with his tackling, passing and work-rate.
From what we have seen so far, Xhaka might not flourish in a deep role even if Emery gives him more games. And it won’t benefit Arsenal either. Going forward, the combination of Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi in central midfield should be the ideal choice for the manager.
Read More: Enough is enough: Unai Emery must immediately drop this £100,000-a-week superstar from Arsenal’s XI
Given that Aaron Ramsey has emerged as the new No.10 for Arsenal with Mesut Ozil preferred in a wider role, it will be hard for Xhaka to mount a challenge for an advanced role in the midfield. Truth be told, the Swiss has no future at Arsenal and it is just a question of how long Emery holds his patience and continues to persist with the player.
