Arsenal: Granit Xhaka Bending But Resisting Breaking

Arsenal need Granit Xhaka to step up in Francis Coquelin’s absence, so this bend needs to straighten up before it breaks.

Arsenal‘s midfield predicament is just that – one hell of a predicament. They need Mohamed Elneny back to help cope with the lack of troops in the holding midfield area. In the mean time, the defensive duties fall almost entirely on the shoulders of Granit Xhaka.

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While Aaron Ramsey is a solid defender when he is in position to defend, he isn’t often in that position, as he makes late runs into the box that can leave him out of position when the opposition turns play around and begins their own attack. Even in the short time span of their partnership, a lot has come down to Granit Xhaka being the sole defensive representative in front of the back line.

Initial returns are a tad shaky. It’s clear that Xhaka has been benefiting from the ever-present Francis Coquelin, always waiting to absorb the pressure and snuff out any signs of life. For that matter, everyone benefits from the presence of Coquelin, because he is willing to do the dirty work that so many others aren’t.

That being said, Granit Xhaka hasn’t been horrible defensively. You could say that the new responsibility and pressure is bending him, but he hasn’t broken.

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Despite his central role for the Swiss national team and for Borussia Monchengladbach, I don’t think that Xhaka is yet ready to be a massive central figure for Arsenal. In time, sure, and that “time” may just be another month or two because, as mentioned, he isn’t quivering and breaking.

It’s just clear that the pace of play and the intensity and quality of competition can weigh heavily on him when he is on his own to man the center of the pitch. His lack of pace has been a hindrance because, no matter how intelligent he is, two guys faster than him can always outmaneuver the Swiss bruiser.

There is room for improvement. He is not the complete weapon in the midfield just yet. But that’s the exciting part. He has been very good since his arrival, as his passing and control is top notch. The fact that he can get even better shouldn’t be discouraging.

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He also has to learn how easily people fall over in the goal box. That would be a helpful adjustment as well.