Arsenal: Granit Xhaka voted in CIES team of the season

As the dust settles on the 2020/21 Premier League season, Arsenal like all clubs will reflect on the successes and failings of a memorable yet forgettable campaign. That also includes individual honours, which Granit Xhaka has earned courtesy of the CIES Football Observatory.

Victory over Brighton on the final day at least saw Arsenal end on a positive note. That 2-0 win was part of a five-match winning run that had given Mikel Arteta’s side a glimmer of hope for European qualification but was ultimately too little too late as they finished six points adrift of the top four and a solitary point off a Europa Conference League spot.

Where and why Arsenal fell short of maintaining their 25-year run in European competition will come down to their torrid run pre-Christmas, a period of undoubted regret.

On the flipside, what helped them claw their way back up to within touching difference of the top seven places is that spell after, one that saw Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe rightly earn the plaudits.

Arsenal: Granit Xhaka voted in CIES team of the season for strong performances in central midfield

A strong defensive record is also noteworthy, but so too is the role Xhaka played from then onwards. For a squad grossly lacking in fluency throughout, the Swiss has to be praised for being one of the more consistent performers of the campaign.

That will have played a role in the CIES awarding him a place in their team of the season. Using data from Opta to ‘take into account the efficiency of players at both an individual and collective level’, Xhaka’s near ever-present role under Arteta and regular 90-minute outings without a major drop-off deserves praise. He seems almost free from injury, barring an innocuous issue sustained during a warm-up, of all places.

Quantifying Xhaka’s ability can be muddled in the quality around him. Arsenal lack any stability without him in midfield, which can be both praise for him as it can be criticism for those around him.

His red card against Burnley in the Premier League appeared to be the final straw. How he’s battled back from further adversity has to be heralded as a credit to his mental strength, since it can easily be argued the spell that followed has been some of his best in an Arsenal shirt to date.

Is he team of the season worthy? CIES use their data for their results while Gunners fans will argue a large contingent of top-flight central midfielders are more deserving, but he has been one of the better performers in a torrid season for the club.

There can be an upgrade on Xhaka, without doubt. And if he is to leave this summer a replacement for him arguably becomes the priority signing. If the club can’t source a better alternative within their budget then selling him, for his role both on and off the pitch, would be dangerous. Stupid, in fact.

He improves Thomas Partey and he improves the team when he plays. The question is whether he can improve Arsenal as a whole.