Arsenal: Should Granit Xhaka return for the North London Derby?

Granit Xhaka Still Boasts Excellent Qualities That Can be Useful

Such competence in possession will be a welcome addition to the Arsenal repertoire on Sunday evening because, as we saw over the first three weeks of the season, Tottenham’s conservative approach makes them extremely difficult to break down and they will do all they can to frustrate our already wasteful attack, meaning Xhaka’s distribution could make all the difference.

Furthermore, the 28-year-old’s availability is well-timed as he is an ideal partner for Thomas Partey. The former Atletico Madrid man is starting to live up to expectation following impressive contributions against Norwich and Burnley respectively, but his lone midfielder role at Turf Moor would be unviable on this occasion as we would be completely outnumbered by the aforementioned Spurs’ press.

Reverting to the Xhaka/Partey combination is therefore a compelling option as it gives us greater presence in the middle and adds a new dynamic to the attack, with our No. 34 providing essential defensive cover for Partey and subsequently allowing the Ghanaian to showcase his accomplished skillset in the final third.

As the superstitious among you will already know, the old adage warns that if it ain’t broke, you don’t fix it and, with the Gunners finally picking up some Premier League victories – albeit against two of the weakest sides in the division – including a player with Xhaka’s notorious history may be a risky decision for such a high-stakes encounter.

However, his sporadic moments of madness often – perhaps unfairly – overshadow the commendable work he does for the team so, as long as he avoids getting sucked into any needless confrontations, he could play a key role in any positive outcome this weekend.