Arsenal: Granit Xhaka was the wrong man, not that that is his fault

Arsene Wenger signed Granit Xhaka in the summer of 2016 to anchor the Arsenal midfield. He was the wrong man. But that is not his fault; it’s Wenger’s.

Arsenal have had a major, crippling weakness for many years. It is at the heart of the team, infecting and affecting every aspect of the side, from its defensive shape and structure to its offensive potency. I am, of course, talking about the position of defensive midfield.

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Arsene Wenger has tried to address his midfield vulnerabilities, which arose ever since Gilberto Silva was fazed out of the starting XI, time and time again. Mathieu Flamini, Alex Song, Abou Diaby. All of these players, and more, were plugged into the role at one time or another.

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And the latest to be stationed in the role, Swiss international Granit Xhaka — even if it is a little different in the 3-4-3 system that Wenger has implemented more recently –, has failed to show that he has the necessary capabilities to fulfil the requirements. He has proven, in fact, on several occasions, that he lacks several key traits, from mobility throughout the pitch to defensive awareness of danger. But if you were to ask the Swiss press or the Swiss fans, they would paint a very different picture. Here is David Lemos, a journalist and presenter on RTS and Swiss football expert, on Xhaka:

"“Granit Xhaka has many qualities. He is a fantastic passer, has a great shot and is probably one of the most gifted players ever to play for Switzerland <…> Xhaka is also aided by Valon Behrami, a fantastic fighter, a player who has a taste for difficult midfield battles and plays a huge role in recovering balls, tackling and adding a physical touch to the midfield. He is a playmaker and needs players next to him, ideally in a three-man midfield where he is back and centre, of which at least one agrees to do the dirty work.”"

That description of Xhaka should not be a surprise, however. That is what he is; that is what he always has been. The problem has not been his talent, or lack thereof, it has been the use of his talent. The application of the qualities that he does has diluted the influence that they should have had.

Wenger has tried to solve his defensive midfield issues with a player who lacks the required athleticism, positional discipline, tackling technique, game awareness, intuition, and anticipation to play the role. Xhaka is not the right type of player. He was, and still is, the wrong man for the job.

Now, that does not mean he is exempt from criticism when he fails to perform. Just because he is out of position, does not mean that he has a reason for under-delivering.

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But it does negate him of blame, to some extent. The disappointments of his signing should necessarily be aimed at Xhaka. They should be aimed at Wenger. He signed the wrong player for the right position, and now, he’s paying the price.