Arsenal: Use Granit Xhaka right or don’t use him at all

Arsenal saw a truly egregious first half from Granit Xhaka, so let me just drop in another reminder that if you don’t use this guy right, then don’t use him.

Arsenal‘s draw against Tottenham showcased a lot of grit and strength, but also some things we got way too used to last season—an awful first half, poor individual decision making, and mental lapses that are impossible to explain. Granit Xhaka had all of those things happen to him. And then he went and had a wonderful second half.

Of course, it was all capitalized by his ridiculous slide tackle to forfeit a penalty in the first half, giving Spurs the lead in what would end up being a draw.

As an eternal Xhaka apologist, I searched for some sort of justification for that tackle, but it didn’t take long to notice that there was no investigation necessary. It was a stupid decision and it showed what we have always known—that Granit Xhaka is not someone who can play consistently on defense.

We have always known that. Always. It’s not a surprise. And while he will make the occasional positive defensive maneuver, it’s not something to consistently count on, which we should never have been doing anyway.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

Putting him in a defensive position where he is tasked with defending the counter it not a good thing. And it’s an even worse thing when you have Sokratis and David Luiz behind, who are about as apt at defense as Xhaka is.

No one will ever be able to see what makes Xhaka special if we keep putting him in tactical situations where he can’t be himself. For instance, did you notice that he lead the team in chances created? I know we don’t want to harp on stats, but that’s a real stat. A palpable one. He was also steady on the ball, only giving up possession once.

That is what Xhaka is here to do. Not defend. Not stop the counter attack and for the love of everything, not to be the last man back on defense. But he needs the right tactical approach to make that happen or this will happen again.

We’re doing a major disservice to Xhaka, to the team, to the fans, by continuing to ask him to do things he just isn’t good at. There are ways around it. Plenty of ways. It has to happen.