Arsenal: Mid-Season player rankings

14. Granit Xhaka

The very definition of hit and miss. Granit Xhaka is such a talented midfielder with an ability to complete longballs that can only be compared to Xabi Alonso. It’s superb, so much so that when you see him bumbling trying to win a ball back, there is a certain degree of acceptance along the lines of “well, sure, he can’t do that, but wait until he passes.”

That said, he has struggled this year when he hasn’t been in a position to focus on his passing. He lacks the athleticism to be a consistent ball winner and he still seems to be a bit behind the pace of the Premier League as a whole.

But then you see what he’s capable of and you just have to think about all the ways we can start working to compensate for his frailties so that we can accentuate his strengths. I have covered this in-depth throughout the international break, but we did the same with Aaron Ramsey. We compensated for him. So why not do the same with Xhaka?

All that said, despite the ups and downs, Xhaka has put up a respectable three assists, ranks as the top midfielder in terms of long passing and continues to showcase why he is worth the growing pains.

(Andy: 15th; Josh: 13th)