Arsenal: Granit Xhaka Crushing Paul Pogba Early On

Arsenal spent a bit less on Granit Xhaka than Manchester United did on Paul Pogba. So let’s see who was worth it this far into the season.

One player is renowned as world class, the greatest thing to ever happen in the midfield, completely versatile and one of the greatest footballers we will ever see. The other is a solid midfield holder, has a good eye for the long ball, but lacks pace and offensive presence. One plays for Arsenal, one plays for Manchester United.

Let’s have fun.

I will take any chance I can to point out how stupid of a signing Paul Pogba was. Because he was. Plus, it tends to piss off United fans, which is another favorite hobby of mine. If I can accomplish both of these ‘favorite things’ by simply stating a few statistical facts, what have I got to lose?

We are going to compare Granit Xhaka and Paul Pogba. Ask any pundit out there, they’ll say they’d rather have Pogba, but in their very short Premier League careers, we are seeing a different story shape up.

Let’s start with the facts. Both are 23 years old. Both play a holding midfield role. Both are new to the Premier League (we won’t count Pogba’s first stint, which actually does him a favor). That being established, we are on equal footing.

Xhaka cost £34m, Paul Pogba cost nearly £100m. Xhaka has played 186 minutes, Pogba has played 270.

Now, let’s talk stats. Pogba is supposed to do it all. Yet, thus far into his second United stint, he has done nothing. I’m sure you’ve seen the running joke that he has had three hair cuts, no goals and no assists. We are going to dig deeper than that (while never losing our appreciation for it).

First, let’s talk about what they do defensively, as both have a responsibility on that end of the ball. Xhaka has compiled eight total tackles, Pogba just four. The Frenchman gets the upper hand in interceptions, winning seven to five, but in terms of combining these two defensive cornerstones, that makes it 13 to 11 in favor of the Swiss, who has played almost 90 minutes less.

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Now, let’s move on to offensive presence, where Pogba is supposed to be head and shoulders over Xhaka.

Xhaka has completed 12 long-balls to Pogba’s 13 with far less time played. The same goes with chances created, Xhaka has two to Pogba’s four. But also keep in mind that Pogba has been working with a full health Manchester United, whereas Xhaka has not had Giroud or Alexis on the pitch consistently. Yet he is still keeping pace and if you break it down to key passes per 90 minutes played, Xhaka’s 1.0 to Pogba’s 1.3 tells the story.

Then there is the matter of shooting. It’s hard to quantify this into a comparable stat, but watch any match with Paul Pogba and what you will see will frustrate you. He has fired 11 shots, nine of which have been outside the box. Only two shots have been on target (neither from distance).

It’s that intangible stat of ‘attack killing’ which Pogba has mastered. Xhaka has only fired one shot from distance.

Pogba has also lost possession 11 times to Xhaka’s eight.

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The stats don’t lie. You tell me, would you rather have Xhaka the enforcer for nearly one-third of the price or Pogba the extravagant hair-dresser?

(stats provided by WhoScored.com for both Xhaka and Pogba)

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