Arsenal vs Huddersfield: Granit Xhaka guilty of nothing

Granit Xhaka had his problems against Huddersfield Town, but Arsenal would have been so incredibly worse off without him out there.

There were some things about Granit Xhaka‘s display against Huddersfield Town that not even I, the eternal Xhaka apologist, liked. He was slow on the ball at times, he dawdled, and yes, he made two bad passes. As usual, this entitled a lot of Arsenal fans to berate him for his shortcomings without taking the time to appreciate all the other things he did for this club.

We saw it first against Manchester United. Without Xhaka out there, the team looked battered in midfield. They looked frantic, like they were just throwing punches in the dark. They needed some sort of fallback, some sort of guiding light.

Xhaka brought that back against Huddersfield, and he brought back even more than that. For the first time, he was deployed as the deepest in a midfield three, with the often overly-energetic Guendouzi and Torreira flanking him.

This was a match that had ugliness written all over it. The Gunners were squandering chances, there were brawls every five minutes and yellow cards were flying all over the pitch, three of which were for simulation and yes, one of which went to Xhaka.

Xhaka didn’t have a perfect match, but what he does for the Gunners is something no one else on the squad can do, and something I don’t think many other players in the world could do. His ability to protect the ball no matter the situation, for instance. When that ball is at his feet, it can’t be taken away. he uses his body as a shield so well, to turn or to pass and to find the necessary space. It doesn’t always come off, granted, but far, far more times than not, it will.

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He touched the ball 120 times! And for those of you that want to say touching the ball isn’t a good barometer for success, ask yourself why it is he is trusted with that many touches, and why Emery continues to trust him? It’s because he takes care of possession first and foremost.

Torreira and Guendouzi are fantastic assets, but they can be so loose with the ball, especially in precarious situations. They take heavy touches, they get dispossessed, they haven’t figured out owning the ball in the Prem yet.

Xhaka has.

And for those that want to complain he can’t defend, you clearly haven’t been watching him lately. He leads the team in tackles won. Not just against Huddersfield, but for the season. He’s fifth on the team in successful clearances, behind only the usual back four (Mustafi, Holding, Sokratis and Monreal). He’s second on the team in aerial duels, an acquired skill that he has only hinted at before. Hell, he won more aerials against Huddersfield than the back three and the wingbacks combined.

And, oh yeah, he also created the second most chances and, on the season, creates tied for fourth most.

There is a reason (more than one, really) why he finds himself in the top 3-5 of every statistical category on the team and why he consistently handles the ball more than anyone else. And it isn’t because he sucks, or because we have no one else, or because Unai Emery is delusional, or because (insert whatever argument you want).

It’s because he’s damn good at what he does and he is continuously expanding the repertoire of what exactly he does do.

The man is entitled to a few mistakes, he touches the ball heaps more than anyone else. Get over the bias. He’s a stud.