Arsenal: Paul Pogba Makes Sense Of Granit Xhaka Patience

Arsenal and Manchester United both broke the bank (in different quantities) on monster midfield presences. But the difference has defined the clubs.

Arsenal and Manchester United are rivals as old as time, mainly in the successes they have had, but recently, in the plummet of United, we have seen a distinct difference in their policy as compared to our very own North Londoners.

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This difference in transfer and personnel policy has to be what is behind United’s steady fall down the table and incarnate desperation when compared to Arsenal’s steady presence near the top of the table.

The first massive difference in policy came to life with Angel Di Maria when contrasted with Mesut Ozil. Di Maria, a universally accepted talent, was given one year to catch on at United and when he was not able to, he was sold at a cheaper price than he was purchased for. Now he is working masterfully at PSG.

Meanwhile, Mesut Ozil did not catch on in his first year either. But that is part of life and Wenger stuck with him and now he is without a shred of a doubt the best No. 10 in England, if not the world. It’s all about patience and understanding.

Now we have another example. Even with a new manager, United are making the same mistakes. Pogba was brought in and the pretense was that this is the guy was going to be given the reigns and control the progress of United.

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That in and of itself is a bold and, quite frankly, unnecessary pretense. Pogba may have all the potential in the world and in Italy he had his talent on display. But to throw all of your eggs in this man’s basket instead of letting him work into it is where Mourinho made the same mistake that United have come to get used to.

It’s a matter of instant gratification.

And it is that factor that again reminds me how grateful we should be for Arsene Wenger’s knowledge. I have been clamoring for Xhaka to be in the starting XI and for just cause. He is a world beater. I have even lambasted Wenger for his ridiculous caution.

But all of that aside, we have to admire the difference between Arsenal and their ‘I want it now!’ rivals. Wenger is not going to rush anything, he isn’t going to pull any wild cards or put Arsenal in a position where one investment has that much sway on his team.

(Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) /

Xhaka has not been starting, but he has been learning and when he is ready, he will be absolutely ready and he will never look back.

Plus, making him earn the role rather than just have it is what makes the most sense and is something I have keenly neglected. While it’s obvious that the characters of Pogba and Xhaka are vastly different, there is no denying what the different tactics are. Mourinho has given Pogba the role and made him bigger than the team. Over Blind, Schneiderlin and Herrera, proven EPL midfielders, Pogba has been anointed the crowned prince.

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That heaps a sense of entitlement on someone that really doesn’t need it. Make him earn the role and not only will he appreciate it more when he does, but he will make more of it and understand that he isn’t above everyone else that earned the role before him. Plus, it won’t royally tick off the other players in the role, namely the three mentioned above.

That is what Wenger is going for with Xhaka. Make him earn the role over the embedded players that already earned it and he will understand how this club works all the better. In the process, Coquelin and Cazorla have to play at their best in order to keep the role.

The unfortunate United trio understand now that Pogba is always going to be preferred over them, so what’s the point?

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Go figure that I have Paul Pogba to thank for helping me understand the patience being displayed with Granit Xhaka.

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