Is it time for Mikel Arteta to consider a midfield switch?

The feeling at the end of the 2021/22 season was glum. Sure, we all put on a brave face after the 5-0 thumping of Everton on the final day, but the overwhelming sense of ‘what could’ve been’ prevailed.

Arsenal had made distinct strides under Mikel Arteta, but a late-season collapse saw them slip out of the top four at the expense of their fiercest rivals. It became clear how the squad needed to be shaped in order for the next step to be taken in 2022/23, with a new striker and further defensive reinforcements on the agenda. The vast majority, meanwhile, believed additions were required in midfield.

And while the club made a surprise move for Porto’s Fabio Vieira, he wasn’t the direct upgrade on Granit Xhaka that some supporters wanted.

Xhaka’s 2021/22 campaign was impressive, one of his best in an Arsenal shirt, but questions were raised over his long-term future in north London. Was he someone Mikel Arteta wanted to be playing week in, week out during the next phase of his project?

Yes, yes he was.

Is it time for Mikel Arteta to consider a midfield switch?

Arteta saw an alternate future for the Swiss international at the Emirates. While Xhaka’s success in 21/22 came in a more conservative function where he’d essentially operate in a double pivot with Thomas Partey, drop into the left-back zone and allow Kieran Tierney to maraud forward, Arteta had grander ideas for his dressing-room leader.

Xhaka’s role change into an advanced #8 became clear in the summer. His function was unlike anything we’d seen him perform in north London, and some queried his suitability. But the novelty of Xhaka’s alteration paid dividends. He relished the freedom; built telepathic relationships with the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Oleksandr Zinchenko, and began to contribute regularly in the final third. The 30-year-old was playing some of the best football of his career, with his emphatic strike against Tottenham in the North London Derby proving the cathartic moment in the player’s redemption.

Xhaka was Arsenal’s renaissance man. 

In 211 Premier League appearances, the Swiss international has notched 35 goal contributions. Six of these arrived in the first 13 games of 2022/23. His form before the World Cup played a crucial role in the club’s meteoric rise off the back of last season’s disappointment, but it seems as if the unreliable, technically inconsistent Xhaka of old has returned from Qatar.

In short, Xhaka’s form has taken a nosedive. It’s almost as if the novelty’s worn off. His role hasn’t changed, and he may well be another member of Arsenal’s left-hand side to suffer in Gabriel Jesus’ absence. Martinelli has been nowhere near as proficient in 2023, while Zinchenko has struggled at times in the wake of his stellar January. The entire left flank has been a bit broken, to be honest.

However, such issues, especially Xhaka’s dip, can’t solely be pinned on Jesus’ absence. The midfielder continues to get himself into some great positions between the lines and in behind, but he’s lacked the requisite quality to sustain his final third production. In 11 games since returning from the World Cup, Xhaka has just two goal contributions. He hasn’t scored since 23 October.

There’s no denying that the 30-year-old has been a hindrance in recent weeks. Poor decision-making and execution in the final third have been distinct sources of frustration among supporters, and the midfielder’s beginning to make more technical errors in the second phase to stifle his side’s momentum.

And with Arteta’s system manifesting cracks since the turn of the year, Xhaka’s flaws without the ball haven’t quite been hidden as well. His lack of athleticism means he’s still easy to bypass in transition.

When it became clear that Arsenal would not be upgrading Xhaka in the wake of his superb performance against Leicester last August, I wrote that this was a decision that could cost Arsenal in the long run. And while Xhaka’s fine form throughout the first half of the season somewhat vindicated the club’s decision not to purchase a player of Youri Tielemans’ ilk, the drawbacks of the Swiss midfielder performing such an advanced function have become apparent.

His performances must improve, otherwise, a switch has to be considered in midfield. While the 30-year-old is an invaluable on-field leader, Arsenal need greater quality from that position. Perhaps Emile Smith Rowe or Fabio Vieira could provide it.

A lack of reliable options for Arteta to turn to has seen Xhaka start every game post-World Cup, but Smith Rowe’s second long-awaited return could finally threaten the midfielder’s once-guaranteed spot in the XI.