Arsenal: Stan Kroenke must love Granit Xhaka

Arsenal’s defense was destroyed just as it was getting good, and now it falls on Granit Xhaka to do his magic. Stan Kroenke probable loves the guy.

Among the slew of storylines that come from Arsenal‘s disappointing loss to Manchester United, the biggest takeaway is that the budding defensive partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis was undone in the 20th minute when Sokratis had to be withdrawn due to an ankle injury.

The defense crumbled in his absence. Granit Xhaka was called upon to play defensive duties as Mustafi came on for the Greek in an attempt to keep hold of the defensive solidity that had been emerging, but it was all for naught.

Koscielny was also later removed from the match after catching Lukaku’s bowling ball head to the chin, and thus did the grand new defensive plan fall to pieces right before our eyes.

With no money in the club, finding actual solutions is going to be a problem. But fear not, Stan Kroenke! Do not dip into that wallet of yours, for there is no need! All you have to do is ask Granit Xhaka to go out of his way and face more unfair criticism for playing in a position that isn’t his to play.

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Xhaka has been deputizing all over the team this season, from left back to centerback, neither of which he should have been any good back, both of which he proved to be adequate at. He’s not a defender, we’ve all accepted that much, but he is also a warrior and a passionate player who will do whatever it takes for the team and that shows through every time you pull him out of the midfield that desperately needs him and put him somewhere else, where you can’t afford to buy an actual replacement for.

All this to say that Stan Kroenke probably loves Granit Xhaka. And I feel like I never have to worry about him leaving the club because anyone that can save money on transfers like Xhaka, who can just be plugged in wherever hell you want and do a half decent job, has to be adored by businessmen who invest nothing in the club their own. That is, if he even knows who Granit Xhaka is.

Joking aside (was I really joking, though?), Xhaka had to again get called into defensive action against Manchester United and, while he had his problems, he did what he could to stem the bleeding. Which is no easy feat for a midfielder who “can’t defend.”

I just hate to think that we will be missing out on him in the midfield in the coming matches, all because Emery has got a taste for using him wherever he feels like because he isn’t terrible at it. Maybe though… and this is a big maybe, the desperation is at such a level that the club may actually do something about it other than push Xhaka out of position.