Arsenal: Granit Xhaka is one small flaw from an elite midfielder

Arsenal heaped the expectations on Granit Xhaka when they brought him in and he is excelling, but there is one thing holding him back.

Arsenal waited ten years to bring in a midfielder who actually played a deeper position. That player, whoever he was, was going to face unreasonable and unattainable expectations, because they would always be compared to Patrick Vieira.

That is the situation Granit Xhaka walked into when Arsene Wenger promised him paradise at the Emirates. It may seem like empty words to win his signature, but there is certainly paradise to be had if the Swiss can take the right steps.

There are so many things Xhaka does right. His ability to stretch the pitch is among the best in the world. He is also incredibly intelligent with how he uses his strength and frame to protect the ball. The man never loses possession. No regular starter outside of the centerback crop, loses the ball less.

He has also significantly cut down on his disciplinary problems. His yellow cards this year haven’t been about rash challenges stemming from poor decisions, they have come from him taking his enforcement abilities seriously.

His defense has improved as well, although the sooner we can accept that he isn’t a defensive midfielder, the better.

And now that he is being allowed to roam further forward, he is creating more chances and threatening the goal more than ever before.

But there is one, massive mountain that he can’t seem to get over, and until he does, he will be harangued by fans and mocked for his ineffectiveness. It shouldn’t distract from all the good he is doing, but it’s such an obvious flaw that it will.

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He just can’t seem to weed out the poor passes.

Xhaka is a pass master, which is why it’s so glaringly frustrating when he sends a ten yard ball straight to the feet of the opposition. It’s almost unfathomable how someone with such clear passing ability can screw up such a simple square ball. Perhaps it’s down to pressure, or lack of focus. Or a combination of the two.

Guys like Mesut Ozil don’t make those mistakes. Or, if they do, they do it once and then don’t do it again for months. Xhaka can be counted on to make three or four piss-poor short passes per match. And that will always, always stop him from getting the credit he deserves. But who can blame the critics? If you can’t do the basics right, then you are certainly not an elite player.

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Xhaka can be elite. He is making so many improvements. But until these goofy mistakes disappear, he will be chained by them.

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