Arsenal: Granit Xhaka in need of a rock or a hard place

Arsenal expect a lot out of Granit Xhaka, but do they need to provide him with even more before they can get what they want?

Despite having a name that means exactly as it sounds “granite,” Granit Xhaka is far from the solid wall of a holding midfielder that we might have been mistakenly expecting when he made the move from Borussia Monchengladbach to Arsenal.

Slotting in the defensive midfield role, Gooners can be forgiven for expecting him to be the missing bit of muscle they had longed for since the departure of Patrick Vieira, but the simple fact of the matter is that, as of his current skill levels, he is not. And he isn’t all that close.

If you needed more proof, kindly watch him at the tail end of the Watford match, just as the second Hornet goal goes in. That is, if you can stomach it.

I love what Xhaka brings to Arsenal, but I do carry with me the same concerns that I carry when I say that I love who Mesut Ozil is as a player. And that concern is simple – does Arsenal have the team required to field a player like Xhaka?

He’s a misleading player. His disciplinary record hints that he has a mean streak, which he does. He isn’t one to back down and he is solid and unflappable. That much is certain. But he’s not a ball winner, let alone a defensive midfielder, and he is certainly not a tackler, though he may well be improving that aspect of his game.

Xhaka is a passer first and foremost. That’s what he does.

The problem is that, when the club falls into disarray and all Xhaka can do is pass and stand strongly over the ball, there isn’t much in his repertoire to turn the tides of a match.

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You could say that he is caught between a rock and a hard place, because when he is allowed to exercise his skills, there are few better. But he doesn’t always have the resources to get the game to a point where he can exercise those skills, and that’s when we see his weaknesses.

However, to re-tool that saying, Granit Xhaka simply needs to be between a rock and a hard place. Literally. Because, like Ozil, when he is protected, he has the capabilities to do amazing things. Just like Aaron Ramsey.

It seems like so many of Arsenal’s star players require a laundry list of prerequisites to be at their best. When that laundry list is met, everybody rejoices and the world marvels at the beautiful Gunners. But when you can’t provide those prerequisites, everyone is left looking around for someone to do the dirty work to get the team back to that beautiful play.

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Xhaka is not a dirty work guy. I hesitate to use the same word that I use to describe Ozil, “luxury”, because I’m not sure that Xhaka has fallen that far yet. He has had his moments this year where he hasn’t looked completely exposed, but given that he will likely never have his safe space between a rock and a hard place, there needs to be more evolution in his game.

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