Arsenal: Granit Xhaka The Start Of Needed Revolution

Arsenal has always been a firm believer in the adage ‘the more the merrier’ when it comes to their midfield, but Granit Xhaka revolutionizes that.

Arsene Wenger was frequently mocked because, no matter what position needed filling, he would probably sign an undersized, creative midfielder. It’s what got Arsenal into the position it has been in these past couple of years, with options galore, but nothing really set in stone.

Even as those numbers started to thin, there are still on the books at Arsenal: Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi, Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny, *deep breath* Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jon Toral, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and, of course, Granit Xhaka. And that isn’t including the young up and comers.

It seems a bit excessive, having such an array of guys both at the club and on loan, essentially dueling for two positions. The losers get shoved out wide or pushed out of the club.

Thinning that herd started with Granit Xhaka. Here is a pillar that you can start to build a team around and someone who can play every game because of his diverse array of talents. Now, rather than adjusting, according to the opponent, and deciding on Elneny, Coquelin, Ramsey or Wilshere, Wenger can instead slip Xhaka in there and focus instead on funneling all of those options into one position – right next to the Swiss.

The midfield needed an overhaul. Far too many specialists and far too many half-players. They need someone who can do much more than just one thing. Someone who can be reliable day in and day out and be built around. The centerpiece, per say.

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That centerpiece, Granit Xhaka, changed the game for this midfield and all of a sudden, all these bit-part players have to either find new facets to be useful or risk being replaced. This isn’t the old Arsenal where Wenger is going to sit by and wait for players to flesh out. There is a new sense of urgency that is becoming apparent and will soon become more apparent.

With Cazorla over the hill and question marks surrounding every other option, more revolution is still needed to fix this mess of a midfield. There have been combination that worked briefly this year, such as Xhaka-Elneny and Xhaka-Ramsey (in the 3-4-3 that is) and those can be some fine models to build off, but it might just be a case of needing to do the Xhaka thing all over again.

Rather than letting the same old crop fight it out, finding one, truly encompassing midfielder to rule them all solves everything. And there are options. Miralem Pjanic, Isco, even James Rodriguez could fit the billing.

Next: Arsenal's Potential Starting XI Under Max Allegri

Xhaka was a sign of intent to clean up a cluttered midfield and now it’s time to finish that cleansing process.