Arsenal: Granit Xhaka is good enough, whether you like it or not

Arsenal have long had a tug-of-war over the worthiness of Granit Xhaka, but in the end it’s all pointless. He is good enough, like it or not.

In the endless battle for whether Granit Xhaka is a liability or integral, I have always fallen on the integral side, but after a poor first half against Tottenham, plenty of former players, Arsenal and not, have been weighing in with opinions that no one asked for.

The majority was negative, including some rather misguided opinions that Xhaka brings “nothing” to the club. This is an opinion that immediately eliminates itself from being relevant. If you actually believe that this internationally acclaimed midfielder brings nothing to the club, then you’re either over-exaggerating for the sake of getting headlines, or this sport isn’t for you.

Ray Parlour, however, came out in defense of Xhaka. And to Parlour’s credit, he was unbiased. He admitted that Xhaka was awful in the first half, and that he just needs to calm down sometimes, but he also gave credit where it’s due. Xhaka is a controlling presence on the ball and he sprays passes with ease.

That has always been the primary draw of Xhaka, and the main reason why he is so integral to matches that we need to harness. Obviously it went wrong in the first half against Spurs, but for 85% of last year, up until Xhaka got hurt, the difference between having Xhaka and not having Xhaka was stark.

When we have him, there is a confidence to the match. A coolness to it. He can break down defenses with a single pass and dictate the flow of the game, all on his own.

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When we don’t have him, or when he isn’t performing well enough, it’s frantic, chaotic, unmanageable. And for a team that struggles to defend the counter attack, frantic and hectic are hardly a recipe for inspiring confidence.

The point is, if you can’t admit that we are a much better club when Xhaka is at his best, then you’ve been blinded either by your own irate insensibility or by the headlines that constantly spew that he isn’t good enough.

Spoiler alert: Whether you like it or not, he is good enough. The man has captained internationally and he’s now captaining our club. You don’t get to that level by hook or by crook, you get there specifically by being good enough.

It reminds me of my ongoing criticism of Mesut Ozil. For as much as I don’t want him at this club, I will never say something like “he’s not good enough.” Because you don’t get as far as Ozil has without being good enough. Same goes with Xhaka.

And call it moot if you want, but I truly admire a player who can admit his faults, and Xhaka has always, always admitted to them. Usually very early in the process. If you can never admit your faults, you can never improve on them.

At the end of the day, Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and Vladimir Petkovic all see in Xhaka what I see in him. If you can’t see that, too bad. Because three men with better footballing minds already do.