Arsenal: Granit Xhaka absence will convert nonbelievers

Arsenal’s performances lately have been gritty, hard-fought and, perhaps a bit underwhelming, but things are going to get really interesting without Granit Xhaka.

Arsenal’s upcoming match-up against Manchester United is massive. Believe it or not, the top four isn’t completely out of the picture, but the first step is putting away the Red Devils (who will then get put away by Tottenham and then, wa-la, we are in fifth).

Still, United have proven to be a gritty team and the Gunners will need their usual cast to match that grit and determination and, unfortunately, they won’t have it.

Granit Xhaka will be missing against United, which is a terrifying prospect given the available replacements.

When Xhaka was removed against Spurs, it was a complete circus. There was no control, no one there to slow things down, no one to keep the shape of the midfield. It was anarchy and it led to a frantic affair that the Gunners could not keep up with.

Now we have a full 90 minutes of questionable midfield control. Xhaka has been so much better than he gets credit for this season, particularly in the second half as he has learned the consequences of poor tackling, and he has become the backbone of the Gunner’s core.

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The potential replacements for that backbone are less than inspiring. Francis Coquelin? He can win the ball back, sure, but he has become a bigger card threat than Xhaka. Plus, once he has the ball he hasn’t a clue what to do with it. His long passing is laughable and he hasn’t an offensive bone in his body.

Mohamed Elneny is a more likely candidate for the role, but he is completely hit or miss. There aren’t many players I’ve seen who have more of a highest high and lowest low than Elneny. Sometimes he looks prepared to be a Premier League player, sometimes he looks like he has ankle weights holding him down.

That roll of the dice is, well, dicey, and it is going to make us severely miss Xhaka.

Then there is Aaron Ramsey. Ramsey needs that controlling presence in next to him so that he can be allowed to roam free like a deer in  the field. If his partner is Coquelin, who gives the ball back as soon as he has won it, Ramsey will be tracking back and forth on offense and defense, never able to get in the flow of the game.

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Xhaka’s absence is going to hurt, you’ll see. The key now is mitigating the damage and finding a way around it.