Arsenal: Granit Xhaka the key to unlocking West Brom

Arsenal will certainly need to be sharp to cut through the stingy West Brom defense and Granit Xhaka is the biggest weapon in doing so.

The absolute last thing Arsenal need to have happen at home against West Brom is a 0-0 tie, where they control 80% of possession, fire 86 shots with 37 on target and score zero goals. But if any team can pull of something that ridiculous, it would be our Gunners.

West Brom have a stout defense that has only surrendered four goals. Oddly enough, three of those were against Brighton at Falmer Stadium, which just reinforces that understanding that if you’re going to break down the Baggies, it has to be away from the Hawthorns.

But it’s still the same team, and it still requires breaking down and as we have seen the Gunners do on numerous occasions, they certainly are capable of going stale or running out of ideas, especially when they’re dinking the ball around the box without much purpose.

Quick, incisive interplay is usually a reliable source of actually scoring for the Gunners, and for that, I turn to our slowest starter, Granit Xhaka, who Charlie Nicholas thinks should be benched.

I normally agree with Charlie Nicholas, so I won’t give him the same treatment I’ve given other pundits with bad ideas, but sitting Xhaka is a terrible idea, especially against West Brom.

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They are a very compact team that isn’t jaunted easily, so attacking teams have to find ways to stress that composed defense and midfield and one way that can be done is through the stretching and spreading out that is caused by the Swiss midfielders pinpoint longball accuracy.

This Baggies defense has stoned us in the past, when the Gunners relied on individual inspiration and technical wizardry to drive their attack, but this new look Gunners has relied on finding space and punching the hole quickly.

Granted, that was easier with Danny Welbeck and not Alexis Sanchez, but this will have to do.

The first step, though, is creating that hole, and that involves the stretching mentioned earlier, which Xhaka provides. No one can fire that pass like Xhaka.

Not to mention the fact that he is always a threat from distance. Xhaka has yet to open his goal’s account and it shouldn’t be a reliable source, but he has threatened the opposing keeper at times this year by being able to crack loose when given space.

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These tools will be crucial against the Baggies. Crucial in avoiding a dreaded 0-0 draw.

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