Arsenal: How has Unai Emery helped Granit Xhaka?

Granit Xhaka has stated that Unai Emery has helped him tactically. But what has the new Arsenal head coach actually done to help the much-maligned midfielder?

Granit Xhaka is a much-maligned figure in Arsenal circles. The overriding feeling, in his third season at the club, is a negative one, one that suggests he is simply not good enough to have a positive impact at the sharp end of the Premier League.

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But Xhaka feels that he is improving this season. Speaking in the Daily Mail, Xhaka credits new head coach, Unai Emery, for developing and improving his game tactically:

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"“We needed some time to get to know the character and philosophy of the new manager. It is going well and I am improving. On a tactical level, the manager has really helped me. But we can still improve.”"

So, that begs the question, what has Emery actually changed to ‘improve’ Xhaka? — I put improve in quotations as some would argue that he hasn’t improved this season, even if he himself proclaims that he has.

Well, the first thing is that he has partnered him with a true defensive midfielder. Xhaka has started all eight Premier League games so far this season. He is the only midfielder at the club that has. But where last season he was predominantly paired with Aaron Ramsey, this year, he has been joined by Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira, two players that offer a more defensive approach than Ramsey.

That has pushed Xhaka into a slightly freer, more advanced role, where his passing range has come to the fore. Xhaka’s pass completion rate has actually dropped 5% from his first season in north London. He is making roughly the same number of passes per 90 minutes, but is pushing the ball into more advanced areas far more frequently. Per every 90 minutes, Xhaka is attempting 10.7 long passes. Last season, that figure was at 9.0. The year previous, 7.8. Xhaka is looking long.

That is helping Arsenal move the play into advanced areas of the pitch with more regularity and speed. And Xhaka feels comfortable taking on these more difficult, but far more progressive, passes because of the comforting presence of a fellow holding midfielder alongside him. Moreover, the added midfielder has also helped Xhaka defensively. He is attempting fewer tackles per 90 minutes, has not yet been sent off, and is committing more fouls per 90 minutes — this is a good thing, I believe, as Arsenal have made a conscious effort to commit more professional fouls to prevent opposing counter-attacks that tend to pick up yellow cards, but not red cards.

The final difference in Xhaka’s game is his shooting. Last season, Xhaka took 1.6 shots from outside of the box every 90 minutes. This season, that figure has been halved, 0.8 shots from outside of the box every 90 minutes. Additionally, of the 1.8 shots from any zone per 90 minutes that he took last season, 0.5 were on target — a 27.7% strike rate. The year before, his strike rate was also 25%. This season, he tallies 0.4 shots per 90 minutes on target, half of his attempted shots from all zones. A 50% strike rate is approximately double of his previous tallies.

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Whether Xhaka has actually improved is another question that I will not go into here. But he has changed, on account of Emery’s management. His role has changed, the way in which he plays has changed, and the influence, both positive and negative, he has on games has changed. Emery is having an effect. For now, that is a good thing.

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