Granit Xhaka has been receiving criticism from both rival fans and Arsenal fans, but is it justified?
There are some players who are just the face of criticism, whether it be justified or not. It’s a shame, but Granit Xhaka is one of those. I am one who is a big advocate of the Arsenal man, but I am quick to mention when he’s had a bad game. The thing is though, this is rarely the case.
Nine times out of ten, the Swiss midfielder is the most integral player on the pitch, and he rarely puts a foot wrong. It’s just that when he does, these are the only instances which get spoken about by the masses.
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In fairness, it doesn’t help his case that he’s yellow carded in almost every match, and that a large portion of Arsenal’s play runs through him. This is bound to lead to the odd mistake, but this is something which all midfielders will experience.
Xhaka is excellent at providing a positive light to his players. He is the team’s main passer, dictating play in the middle of the park. Obviously, this will lead to the age-old ‘sideways passing’ argument, but why?
Yes, he does pass sideways on the occasion, but this is better than always picking out unreachable passes. When there is an opportunity to play it forward, you best believe he will play the ball forward. He has a stunning range of passing on him, and Arsenal fans often see him spread the play out wide to the overlapping full backs.
The defending aspect to his game is what lets him down, I don’t think even the deepest Xhaka lovers can deny this. This explains his high number of fouls during his time at Arsenal, but it’s understandable given this shouldn’t be his role.
Now that Arsenal have brought in Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria, the defensive onus will hopefully be taken away from Xhaka, in a bid to allow him to excel at his passing. Being the dictator in midfield is a painstaking art, and the passing stats are almost always in favor of Xhaka.
He’s quite an easy player to hate, I get that. But giving him unfair criticism is something which isn’t going to help anyone. His strengths outweigh his weaknesses, and now that there’s not an emphasis on his weaknesses, fans should begin to watch him closely and see how much he’s improved.
Are you a fan of Granit Xhaka?