Analyzing The Tactical Impact of Granit Xhaka on Arsenal
It’s been a long time coming, but Arsenal fans around the world can finally rejoice. Gone are the days of Mathieu Flamini’s headless chicken impression allowing opponents to wreak havoc on their midfield.
For the first time since Gilberto Silva graced the Emirates pitch way back in 2008, the Gunners can once again boast a genuine all around defensive midfielder in the form of new signing Granit Xhaka.
Blessed with an imposing blend of technique, vision and combativeness, Xhaka is truly the sort of player required to shore up the ailing Gunners midfield, sitting just ahead of the back four and covering for the rest of the side as they bomb forward up the pitch. And while recent residents of this role – namely Mikel Arteta, Alex Song and Francis Coquelin – each brought their own unique contributions to the table, none were able to boast the shear completeness that Xhaka exuded during his 2015/2016 Bundesliga campaign with Borussia Monchengladbach.
However, following the club’s capture of the Swiss dynamo, an entirely new dilemma has sprung up regarding Arsene Wenger’s future plans. With a plethora of creative options on hand to field alongside Xhaka and only a finite number of open spots available in the starting XI, how should Arsenal line up come next season?
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The most obvious response of course, is to simply continue with the setup they’ve consistently utilized over the past few years. Ever since the Cesc Fabregas era, Wenger has primarily relied on a classic 4-2-3-1 system, built largely around a central midfield duo consisting of a deep-lying holder and a more attack minded central midfielder.
In this case, Wenger would be able to rotate between an engine type box to box player such as Aaron Ramsey and a more creative ball carrier such as Jack Wilshere or Santi Cazorla as Xhaka’s partner, tailoring his match strategy to most effectively counter their given opponents.
Where this approach fails, however, is on the opposing side of the ball. None of Ramsey, Wilshere or Cazorla are particularly gifted at the basic defensive requirements of a double pivot, often venturing too far up the pitch and neglecting to contribute the necessary defensive work. As talented as Xhaka is, no one player is able to cover for an entire attack if forced to do so alone.
This in turn, points to a second option Wenger can explore. By shifting Aaron Ramsey or Jack Wilshere to the right-wing – a role they have both filled multiple times for the club over the past two seasons – he would be able to pair Xhaka with a fellow defensive minded player such as Mohamed Elneny or Francis Coquelin.
In this scenario, Arsenal would effectively sacrifice their renown attacking prowess for outright defensive solidity, stifling a majority of opposing counter attacks through the disciplined nature of their two CM’s.
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Unfortunately, such a conservative pairing would leave them susceptible to teams that simply sit back and absorb their pressure, with the absence of a creative presence in the center of the pitch hindering Arsenal’s ability to break down the opposition. It may not be a system that Wenger will be able to consistently employ, however, it could very well act as an especially useful plan B when pitted against a superior possession based side.
At this point, we are able to truly comprehend the extent of Wenger’s predicament. Deciding between creativity and solidity is often a troublesome impasse for any top-level manager, and striking a balance between the two is a notoriously difficult feat. However, there is still one option in the framework that could enable Wenger to check off both boxes: Switching formations entirely.
During the 2014/2015 season, Arsenal spent large portions of their campaign fielding a newly implemented 4-3-3 system. In such, Aaron Ramsey and one of Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere were positioned in the center of the pitch ahead of either Francis Coquelin or Mikel Arteta, creating a skillful yet defensively solid midfield trio.
While the central players thrived in this system, the same cannot initially be said for Arsenal’s star playmaker Mesut Özil. Unable to cope with the physical demands and lack of freedom he was subjected to by his unfamiliar wide role, the German maestro often found himself drifting in and out of matches, attracting the ire of onlookers and media members alike.
However, following a lengthy injury layoff, Özil returned fit and firing, barely resembled the oft derided player who was consistently linked with a move away from the Emirates. Having taken advantage of his tenure on the sidelines to both bulk up and tweak his movement to better suit the wide areas of the pitch, the German maestro finally began to display the form that lead Wenger to shell out a club record £42.5 million to capture his services from Real Madrid in the first place.
While Özil was later handed the reigns to his favored number 10 position once Wenger reverted back to his usual 4-2-3-1 system towards the tail end of the season, the promise he began to display in his floating wide role means the 4-3-3 is still very much a viable possibility.
Should Wenger opt to re-adopt this formation, he would potentially be able to strike the perfect balance between attacking prowess and defensive solidity. With Xhaka sitting behind a more forward thinking central pairing, the midfield would be freed up to drive forward and link up with the attack, knowing full well that they finally posses the necessary cover to do so uninhibited. They’d still be required to track back and defend, of course, yet the individual defensive responsibilities of a three man midfield are significantly less pressing than those of a double pivot.
His signing may represent a conundrum of sorts, however, the fact that Granit Xhaka now offers Wenger genuine options in the midfield will have Arsenal fans brimming with excitement. While the 4-3-3 could very well be the club’s most direct route back to Premier League glory, rotating between both variations of the 4-2-3-1 depending on the opponent is just as viable of an alternative.
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Simply put, there is no definitive “right way” for this Arsenal side to line up now that they’ve secured the services of their long sought after defensive midfielder. However, the fact that they now have multiple different strategies to choose from is a major step forward for Arsenal Football Club.