Arsenal Vs Leeds United: 5 things we learned – Mikel Arteta turns tide

2. Granit Xhaka, this cannot continue

Granit Xhaka was one of the greatest benefactors of Mikel Arteta’s appointment as head coach. Starting two games under the Spaniard, Xhaka performed excellently in both, starting in central midfield and tasked with dictating play from deep, his superb passing range coming to the fore as Arteta protected him with a more intense high press in front of him and mobile midfield alongside.

But while Xhaka showed signs that he could perform constructively under Arteta’s coaching in recent weeks, the same limitations that have hampered his tenure in north London did not just magically disappear. He is still too dependent on his left foot, he struggles to deal with the ball under pressure, his tackling is woefully uncontrolled, and he is critically slow, so much so that any positive attributes cannot make up for his lack of athleticism.

All of these shortcomings came to the fore here. Xhaka was outrun by the Leeds midfielders, his touch was awful under pressure, his tackling was shockingly out of control, and he was a major problem throughout. Even when Arsenal improved in the second half, it was Matteo Guendouzi, not Xhaka, who wrestled control of the midfield away from Leeds. Quite frankly, Xhaka’s vulnerabilities cannot be solved. He will have good performances here and there, but he is unfixable. The quicker Arteta comes to that realisation the better.