Ever present Granit Xhaka one of the most essential at Arsenal

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Granit Xhaka has gone through a lot of criticisms at the club but he still remains a key figure, whenever The Gunners perform well. He is one of the vital players that makes things click for for Mikel Arteta side.

Granit Xhaka. Photo Credit: Twitter/ Arsenal

Into his fifth season at the club having joined during the Arsene Wenger era from German side Borussia Moenchenglabach, Granit Xhaka has been hero and villain at the club. He has been made a scapegoat for several poor Arsenal performances and is still at the club thanks to Mikel Arteta's appointment.

Though the 28 year old has his part blame for the criticisms, but notwithstanding, he has been one of the best centre midfielder at the club since his arrival. Maybe not always at his best but only few player in world football could manage consistent performances, most especially in an unsettled team like Arsenal.

Might not be one of the world class in his position but Xhaka is one of the most important member of the Arsenal first team squad. Being a very consistent player and rarely absent due to injury, he has made over 200 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions.

Xhaka is currently on a 12 consecutive appearances for the Gunners in all competition, and completed 90 minutes in all the games. With injuries to Thomas Partey coupled with poor form of Dani Ceballos and Mohammed Elneny, Xhaka's availability prevented a disastrous spell for Arsenal.

His passing is also one of the strength of his game. In his 22 league appearances this season, Xhaka has an average of 59.9 accurate passes per game, that is 90 percent accuracy for the Swiss.

Although he is kind of rash, his defensive contributions for the Gunners in the league is also impressive, averaging 1.3 defensive clearances per league game.

He has also been decent in his five Europa League appearances this season, which is really a good one for Arteta and Arsenal, as it serves as the only route for them to participate in any European competition next season.

Xhaka might not be the best performer at Arsenal, but what he brings to the team can not be overlooked. Even with the summer signing of Thomas Partey, it is the Swiss who has been the most reliable center midfielder at the club this term.

Mikel Arteta knew this and it can be seen even on the pitch of play. Hence the Arsenal boss has charged Xhaka with bigger responsibilities on the pitch, and Xhaka has been delivering on most occasions. 

As the Gunners prepare to kickstart the run-in to the season, Xhaka's reliability and availability will prove vital with games in the Europa League and the Premier League pilling up. What the Gunners will hope for is consistency from the former Gladbach player, as most of their positive results come when he delivers.


Afolabi Kehinde Hassan

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