Arsenal: Granit Xhaka improved but not eradicated

Granit Xhaka has undoubtedly improved in recent weeks, especially in the two legs against AC Milan in the Europa League. However, the Arsenal midfielder has not done enough to eradicate the many questions that hang over him.

Granit Xhaka has not been my most popular player this season. During his first year in North London, there were definite concerns, his lack of athleticism being the most prominent of those. But there were also glimpses of growth and positivity, something that could have been built upon in his second Arsenal term. He didn’t.

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In fact, if anything, Xhaka actually regressed as a player, both in terms of his individual displays and in his fitting-in with the collective. And that, for me, was the nail in the hopeful coffin that perhaps believed that he had the opportunity to deliver on his perceived £35 million quality.

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That said, he has been markedly improved in recent weeks, especially in the double-legged Europa League tie against AC Milan. Sitting as the anchoring midfielder in a three-man shape, flanked either side by Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, Xhaka swept up the loose balls in midfield before looking to play through the lines with real intention, creativity, and attacking purpose.

What was most impressive, though, was his positional discipline. This is perhaps his most detrimental shortcoming. Not only does he have a poor reading of the game in terms of his sense of danger and a lack of athleticism to then recover when space opens up around him, but he also has a tendency to find himself too high up the pitch, either aggressively pursuing the ball when turnovers occur or marauding forward when the team are in possession, vacating the space in front of the defence, exposing the back line.

But in the two matches against Milan, there were only the odd occasions when he was caught out of position. He was far more reserved and conservative in his positional decision-making, he allowed the energy of Wilshere and Ramsey to scamper across the pitch, covering the ground and clogging up the passing lanes, and then looked to pick up the loose balls that occurred before playing forwards.

Nevertheless, his recent improvements are not sufficient to eradicate the deficiencies that riddle his game. His lack of athleticism is a major issue, especially when allied with his poor reading of the game and numbness to danger, meaning that he can neither defend in an anticipatory or reactionary manner, and his passing is far too inconsistent for a player renowned for his distribution, especially over longer distances.

That is why, despite praising him for his growth in the past few matches, I would still like him replaced and improved upon in the summer. Arsenal need a far more disciplined and rangy midfielder to anchor the team. A player who can cover the ground, a player who can screen the defence, a player who can protect and stabilise, a player who can break up and disrupt.

Next: Arsenal Vs AC Milan: 5 things we learned

That player is not Granit Xhaka. He may have shown improvements recently, but he is still not that player.