Arsenal: Solving Granit Xhaka Conundrum Is Absolutely Everything

Granit Xhaka was dire in Arsenal’s 3-3 draw against Bournemouth. Solving the conundrum that he is, is absolutely everything to the Gunners’ title hopes.

That was all rather eventful. The first 45 minutes was a mire of disappointment and despair. I was, with head in hands, watching my TV in utter disbelief at the lethargic display of Arsenal. Bournemouth were sharper, quicker and ultimately better in ever phase of the game.

The two goals conceded in the first half with both disappointing. The first came, primarily, through laziness. Neither Aaron Ramsey nor Alex Iwobi were diligent in their defensive duties, allowing Charlie Daniels to sneak up the pitch, unattended by any Arsenal player whatsoever.

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What followed was a lovely switch of play, a half-hearted flick – I’m not willing to even call it an attempt at a tackle – from Hector Bellerin, a calm finish from the Bournemouth left-back to begin pouring the misery on their visitors. The misery, though, was just the start, and much of it was self-inflicted.

The passage of play for the second goal was the epitome of the Gunners’ ineptitude in the first half. Granit Xhaka stupidly and in a state of panic, as if he was afraid of losing the ball and simply wanted to shift the blame for the inevitable breakdown of the move, decided to play a five-yard, square pass to Francis Coquelin, who duly lost the ball seeing as he was immediately under pressure.

Bournemouth, through the electric pairing of Ryan Fraser and Calum Wilson, then broke with vicious intent at the Arsenal back line. Xhaka initially failed with a cynical attempt to bring down Fraser, taking the impending yellow card and ending the break before it ever started, before later, in rash and clumsy manner, bundled into the back of Fraser. The Flying Scotsman went down under contact, was correctly awarded the penalty and watched as Wilson duly converted.

Arsene Wenger has expressed a concern regarding the aggressive, emotional, highly-strung attitude that Xhaka possesses in the past. This, though, was not out of anger. It was merely reckless, foolish and naive. Xhaka is presenting his manager with a rather untimely and unsolvable conundrum.

The recent struggles that the North London outfit have had, struggles that leave eight points off the top of the table having played a game more, can primarily be laid at the feet of whomever the defensive midfield duo has been. In the losses to Manchester City and Everton, they were utterly overrun, failing to grasp any sort of control on the game whatsoever.

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Similarly, here Arsenal lacked the usual dominance through possession. Xhaka, a man who prides himself on his accurate and varied passing range, has been tasked with providing such control. He has not been able to do so and now his defensive deficiencies from earlier in the year are once again rearing their ugly head. Xhaka is a conundrum that, if solved, brings great success, but solving him, seems like a rather strenuous and exasperating task.

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