Arsenal World Cup update: Granit Xhaka and need for legs

Granit Xhaka started for Switzerland in the 2018 World Cup on Sunday against Brazil. The Arsenal midfielder played neatly, but he had legs around him. Unai Emery could learn the lesson.

Switzerland had a tough start to life at the 2018 World Cup on Sunday. Playing Brazil, perhaps the best team in the whole competition, is a daunting task. But the Swiss, and Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, stuck to their task well, earning a hard-fought 1-1 draw.

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For Xhaka himself, it was a neat and tidy performance without any major moments.

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He was smart in possession, as ever, conserving with the ball at his feet when he needed to be and raking long-range passes across the pitch when he had the opportunity to do so, and defensively, he was disciplined, positionally smart, though sometimes lacking the natural athleticism to track the shifty dribbling of the fleet-footed Brazil attackers. But there was one key element to the Swiss set-up that substantially aided Xhaka in the midfield area: his partner, Valon Behrami.

Behrami is not a special player by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, he is wholly ordinary. But he does offer an industry, an effort and an athleticism that was integral to the defensive covering of the Swiss midfield to protect the back-four. He was given what often looked like a man-marking job on Neymar, and did it excellently, but also broke up play consistently when he veered away from the Brazilian talisman. He made tackles, intercepted passes, committed fouls, eventually picking up a yellow card in the second half, and made a nuisance of his presence. In a word, he provided legs.

It is noticeable that that helped Xhaka greatly. He was protected with Behrami alongside him. Moreover, with Blerim Dzemaili, a box-to-box midfielder rather a more natural attacking midfielder or second striker, playing in front of the two, Xhaka was further hemmed in with athleticism all around him.

It is a lesson for Unai Emery to learn. Xhaka has just agreed to a new contract extension which is reported to keep him in north London until 2023. Clearly, that offer would not have been made if Emery does not view Xhaka as a key component of his plans in the short and long-term future. But as we have seen routinely in the past two seasons, Xhaka needs to be utilised correctly.

The Swiss showed how to do that against Brazil. Xhaka was not perfect, obviously, but he was good, and it was in large part due to the system that allowed him to play. The reports suggesting that Arsenal are pursuing snappy Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira perhaps portray that the club is aware of this lesson. Certainly, he is the type of player that would greatly aid the £35 million signing.

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There is still hope that Arsenal can get the best out of Xhaka. There have been glimpses that he is a better player than he has proven at this point. But the right system is required; the perfect environment must be employed to allow him to flourish. That environment is built on legs.