Ever present Granit Xhaka one of the most essential at Arsenal

By -

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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Another Newcastle defeat means time to go BIG on Eddie Howe might be about right

By -
Image
Eddie Howe's Newcastle United falled to a sixth defeat in seven games as Nottingham Forest sealed a 3-1 comeback win in the Saint James' Park, adding to their Champions League and Carabao Cup elimination in December while they continue to drop down the Premier League table. Credits to the Englishman, however, he is not in an elite level. A project like Newcastle United's is in a stage where you say thank you very much to Eddie Howe, a bid him farewell. It was a miracle, what the former AFC Bournemouth boss has done in his just more than two years at the helm of affairs in Tyneside and after the club failed to make the statement upon their UEFA Champions League qualification, the time couldn't be more right. Eddie Howe took charge of Newcastle United when the club was deep down the bottom of the Premier League standing and helped them become the first-ever to avoid relegation having not won a single game up until Gameweek 14 in the competition's history. Newcastle Un
Read more

Rasmus Hojlund; a pragmatic solution to Manchester United's needs despite likely consequences

By -
Image
Rasmus Hojlund has emerged as a real target for Manchester United as they look to secure a main goalscorer, who will lead the lines for the club on a long-term. Erik Ten Hag has opted for a different approach compared to previous managers of United in recent times, whom had all gone for players of different status. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Odion Ighalo, Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wout Weghorst are strikers the club has signed post Sir Alex Ferguson era, all of whom arrived at the club in their 30s. With Hojlund, United are looking to sign someone who just turned 20, though still has a lot more to learn to master the trade but at the same time, he has got the potentials to become one of the best around. The striker position has been a major issue for the club as many of those who had been signed has not lived up to expectations, while those who did ended up leaving due to their already ending careers. Cristiano Ronaldo and maybe Zlatan Ibrahimovic are the only two names who have m
Read more

Nigeria makes continental history as Osimhen and Oshoala win big in CAF awards

By -
Image
Victory for Nigeria at the CAF awards gala in Marrakech as Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala won the major prizes on the night, making the country the first-ever to produce winners of both CAF Men's and Women's Best Players in the same year. Victor Osimhen crowned Africa's Best For the first time since Kanu Nwankwo 24 years ago, a Nigerian player has won the most prestigious individual accolade in African football with striker Victor Osimhen beating Mohamed Salah and Achraf Hakimi to the CAF Men's Player of the Year award. Osimhen, who enjoyed a sensational year with Napoli, delivering their first Scudetto in 33years and helping them to a first-ever quarter final place in the UEFA Champions League was always front-runner for the award, moreso after Riyad Mahrez failed to make the final three. Aside his conquests with Napoli, the 24-year-old striker was also unplayable in the AFCON qualifiers, scoring ten goals in six games and finishing as top scorer of the qualificatio
Read more