Arsenal: Separating ‘change’ and ‘learning’ key to getting Granit Xhaka

Granit Xhaka has again vowed not to change, which should come as another breath of fresh air for Arsenal, who have so much riding on the Swiss.

Arsenal supporters had long been asking for someone like Patrick Vieira who wasn’t afraid to shake things up in the middle of the pitch and get nasty. Granit Xhaka may not be very similar to Vieira, but if there is one thing he does share with the Invincible, it’s that he isn’t afraid to shake things up in the middle of the pitch and get nasty.

Yet that is arguably the most hated trait that the Swiss midfielder has, as he has fallen under heavy criticism for it.

Xhaka has defended his style before and he has done it again, although this time he has added a key caveat that will come to define his rise to excellence at the Emirates. Here’s what he said in his interview with Arsenal.com.

"“It’s my style of play and nobody can make me change that. Even if I get another red card, then that [is what] happens. You become cleverer, and since my [last] red card, I think things have improved.”"

The key addition to his previous statements come there at the end. You become cleverer, he said.

And indeed he has. While not losing out on the gritty style he loves to champion, Xhaka has become much more intelligent and much more dialed into when stupid tackles are appropriate.

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The key difference can be seen in the fact that he has not surrendered a dangerous foul, earned a red card or surrendered a penalty since January when he was given a straight red against Swansea City.

We haven’t seen him attempt tackles like that anymore, we haven’t seen anything except steadfastness and composure. Nothing out of control or bizarre.

Which hints at the key to understanding and appreciating Xhaka. His style of play is very unique. He is a gritty player who isn’t a good tackler. He is a superb passer that sits deep. That is a style that requires a lot of learning and adjusting,  while not allowing any changes to the DNA of the role.

This also might be Xhaka’s sly consolation that he did need to learn from those mistakes. While I will continue to defend some of his mishaps, there is no defending that they were rash and, if nothing else, damaging to the squad that day.

Next: 4 Reasons Granit Xhaka Isn't The Worst Signing Ever

The fact that he has stayed away from such impetuous moves lately shows that while he isn’t “changing” who he is, he is certainly “learning” to be better. Call it a battle of semantics if you want, what matters is that he is improving.