Arsenal: Granit Xhaka not the cause, but certainly not the solution

Granit Xhaka again showed that he lacks the necessary awareness, athleticism, and ability to play the anchor role at the heart of the Arsenal midfield. While he alone is not the cause of the Gunners’ game-management issues, he is certainly not the solution.

Arsenal were pitiful in their 2-1 loss to Watford on Saturday evening. They lacked quality in their attacking, resilience and awareness in their defending, and deserved to lose, even with Richarlison diving for the equalising penalty after Hector Bellerin foolishly dangled out a left leg.

But for all of their problems, their poor play, their crippling lack of confidence, their wasteful finishing, and their hapless defending, this was a game that they had a perfectly good chance to win. They went into half-time with a 1-0 lead, after all.

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And yet, they could not see it through. They could not manage the game. They were sloppy in possession, inviting pressure onto them, they were disjointed and disorganised at the back, and they lacked energy and legs in midfield, allowing Watford to dominate play through their relentless winning of the second-ball. This is an issue that has plagued this team for many, many years. They are, frankly, naive, and the latest player to drive this inability to grind out wins is Granit Xhaka.

The Swiss international has been heavily criticised for his role in the second goal — he meanders around the edge of the penalty area, utterly unaware or unmoved by the threat that Watford pose, only to see Tom Cleverley, unmarked, to smash the ball into the roof of the net and succumb Arsenal to their third away loss in four Premier League games this season –, and he certainly is a large reason for the Gunners’ failure to see out games. He is, after all, tasked with dictating tempo, controlling the midfield, and marshalling the team from the anchoring midfield position, something that he did not do throughout the second period.

Danny Murphy, though, does not believe that that is his best position:

"“He’s not a holding midfielder. He’s a good footballer who can pass it and strike it from range but he’s not a holding midfielder. He doesn’t sense danger.”"

And I agree with him, though I’m not sure Xhaka would be able to play in another midfield position with success. But to simply state that Xhaka is the cause of Arsenal’s problems is to underestimate the very problems. This is a systemic, overarching, all-infecting issue. Arsenal cannot grind out wins. They lack the defensive shape and structure, they lack the sense of danger, they lack the willingness to battle and fight. They lack everything that is needed to win when the best is difficult to find.

Next: Arsenal Vs Watford: 5 things we learned

Xhaka is not the sole cause of this frailty. But that does not mean he helps it either. Arsenal need solutions, and he is not one of them, even if his £35 million price tag may dictate otherwise. There is much that needs to change, far more than simply replacing Xhaka. But that would be a good place to start.

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