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Granit Xhaka: Swiss Army Knife or Blunt Tool?

Will Xhaka be here after the summer window?

  • Yes

    Votes: 38 55.1%
  • No

    Votes: 31 44.9%

  • Total voters
    69
  • Poll closed .
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RacingPhoton

Established Member
Xhaka has likewise performed well enough to compensate for those mistakes that are from seasons back. Been part of yet another FA Cup win, and is a mainstay in the team for Arteta. So why are you still mentioning them you absolute bore?
Nope. As far as I know, he has single handedly lost matches for us. Ever since he joined, we went out of top 4, forgot how to attack through the middle, became slow af and can't play without having 3 at the back. Can't you see that you loon?
 
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Furious

Emery Gone, Telly Back On
Nope. As far as I know, he has single handedly lost matches for us. Ever since he joined, we went out of top 4, forgot how to attack through the middle, became slow af and can't play without having 3 at the back. Can't you see that you loon?

Yawn, zero worthwhile arguments, as expected from a L-magnet such as yourself.
 

Kav

Established Member
Interesting argument overlooked, we assume that the back three is to protect our weaker defenders when maybe it is because our Central midfield is so mediocre and we all know who has been a constant part of the furniture there for Arsenal over the last 3 years.
 

gunner4lyfe

Established Member
Yawn, zero worthwhile arguments, as expected from a L-magnet such as yourself.
Ok. Present a counter argument without bring up the games we've lost when he's not played because even when he's played and we've won or drawn, we've still been poor and he doesn't contribute massively to it.
 

Rex Stone

Long live the fighters
Trusted ⭐

Country: Wales

Just how many chances did he create in the second half? He had like everybody else an average first half, but in the second half he was brilliant.

if you can‘t admit that then you just have an agenda against him. He has been superb for a while now.

Yeah look at him winning it and pinging it side to side on a dime.

That’s literally what his job is and if we had Tierney and AMN on that side or an actual 10 who could show for the ball once Willian went off we’d have created more.

Think people want him to be something he’s not like a Vieira or Gilberto. He offers something very valuable in today’s game but he won’t be a dynamic box to box or elite ball winner.

You need someone like Partey in there with him and an attacking midfielder like Willian and hopefully Aouar in front of him and that’s an elite midfield.
 

gunner4lyfe

Established Member
Yeah look at him winning it and pinging it side to side on a dime.

That’s literally what his job is and if we had Tierney and AMN on that side or an actual 10 who could show for the ball once Willian went off we’d have created more.

Think people want him to be something he’s not like a Vieira or Gilberto. He offers something very valuable in today’s game but he won’t be a dynamic box to box or elite ball winner.

You need someone like Partey in there with him and an attacking midfielder like Willian and hopefully Aouar in front of him and that’s an elite midfield.
Its the opposite. People are making him out to be more than he actually is.
 

RacingPhoton

Established Member

Just how many chances did he create in the second half? He had like everybody else an average first half, but in the second half he was brilliant.

if you can‘t admit that then you just have an agenda against him. He has been superb for a while now.
All those diagonal air balls to the left wing? I think only one of them can be considered a serious chance. The problem with these lobbed passes is that it gives enough time for any decent opponent to move back, settle down and defend it. That's the reason why none of those so called chances lead to a goal. All Xhaka haters here always accepted that he is good at making those passes. But the question is how many of them have been useful to us?
Compare with Cazorla who can play such passes but also play quick 1 2 1, play through balls through the middle and run past players. Opponents are always kept on their feet trying to guess what he was going to do next. With Xhaka, does one have to even think about what was going to be his next move? Did the ball even go in any other direction in the video?

And this part is supposedly his best game. That's what pisses us off. He is mediocre at best while his fan boys compare him with Kroos and Pirlo.
 

blaze_of_glory

Moderator
Moderator

Country: Canada

Just how many chances did he create in the second half? He had like everybody else an average first half, but in the second half he was brilliant.

if you can‘t admit that then you just have an agenda against him. He has been superb for a while now.
Was just about to post this. He and Ceballos changed the game entirely the way they sharpened up in that second half. Another top performance from Granit after a shaky 45min.

We should have done so much better with those lobbed balls, that's a weapon we can't afford to keep wasting.

I've read he completed 15/20 long passes from midfield? If that's true that's outstanding.
 
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Pastore

Member

Just how many chances did he create in the second half? He had like everybody else an average first half, but in the second half he was brilliant.

if you can‘t admit that then you just have an agenda against him. He has been superb for a while now.

Some nice passes in there, albeit with a lot of space and time to execute. Fair play to him. We'll still go nowhere with him as a starter.
 
All those diagonal air balls to the left wing? I think only one of them can be considered a serious chance. The problem with these lobbed passes is that it gives enough time for any decent opponent to move back, settle down and defend it. That's the reason why none of those so called chances lead to a goal. All Xhaka haters here always accepted that he is good at making those passes. But the question is how many of them have been useful to us?
Compare with Cazorla who can play such passes but also play quick 1 2 1, play through balls through the middle and run past players. Opponents are always kept on their feet trying to guess what he was going to do next. With Xhaka, does one have to even think about what was going to be his next move? Did the ball even go in any other direction in the video?

And this part is supposedly his best game. That's what pisses us off. He is mediocre at best while his fan boys compare him with Kroos and Pirlo.

Utter rubbish.

Imagine having andy robertson and the end of those „airballs“ and somebody like Lewandowski in the middle. Xhaka got his team in a situation to score like 5-6 times against West Ham... and after the game people said he just passed sideways.

i‘ve said it for a long time that our fans really dont understand football. They raved about Guendouzi who had only energy, the other parts of his game absolutely suck. But he was regarded like some kind of messiah‘s. Guendouzi has no speed, average passing and his positioning, albeit the fault of the worst coach i‘ve ever seen in emery, was horrendous.

Xhaka is not a headless box-to-box player that the premier league fans love so much. He is an elegant midfield maestro who would be regarded as one of the best at his postion in the world had he chosen City instead of Arsenal when he had the chance.
 

RacingPhoton

Established Member
Utter rubbish.

Imagine having andy robertson and the end of those „airballs“ and somebody like Lewandowski in the middle. Xhaka got his team in a situation to score like 5-6 times against West Ham... and after the game people said he just passed sideways.

i‘ve said it for a long time that our fans really dont understand football. They raved about Guendouzi who had only energy, the other parts of his game absolutely suck. But he was regarded like some kind of messiah‘s. Guendouzi has no speed, average passing and his positioning, albeit the fault of the worst coach i‘ve ever seen in emery, was horrendous.

Xhaka is not a headless box-to-box player that the premier league fans love so much. He is an elegant midfield maestro who would be regarded as one of the best at his postion in the world had he chosen City instead of Arsenal when he had the chance.
Oh. Yet another Xhaka fanatic claiming to have football knowledge. Are you all xerox copies? :lol:
 

RacingPhoton

Established Member
Utter rubbish.

Imagine having andy robertson and the end of those „airballs“ and somebody like Lewandowski in the middle. Xhaka got his team in a situation to score like 5-6 times against West Ham... and after the game people said he just passed sideways.

i‘ve said it for a long time that our fans really dont understand football. They raved about Guendouzi who had only energy, the other parts of his game absolutely suck. But he was regarded like some kind of messiah‘s. Guendouzi has no speed, average passing and his positioning, albeit the fault of the worst coach i‘ve ever seen in emery, was horrendous.

Xhaka is not a headless box-to-box player that the premier league fans love so much. He is an elegant midfield maestro who would be regarded as one of the best at his postion in the world had he chosen City instead of Arsenal when he had the chance.
And member since yesterday. Why am I not surprised?
 
And member since yesterday. Why am I not surprised?

i have been lurking for a long time and the „He only passed sideways and back“ made me angry that i had to create an account and post that video of his passing against west ham in the second half.

Xhaka completed 15 out of 20 long passes and some guys here still come with that he passes only backwards BS. And then you go on and praise Kroos who actually plays safe as hell, which is absolutely legit.

the funny part is that most of you guys went on about ceballos and xhaka having a bad game when it was those two who kept us alive and going, eventually giving us a win. Willian was a no show for example.

also we had so many balls in west ham‘s final third and wasted so many of them.
 

RacingPhoton

Established Member
i have been lurking for a long time and the „He only passed sideways and back“ made me angry that i had to create an account and post that video of his passing against west ham in the second half.

Xhaka completed 15 out of 20 long passes and some guys here still come with that he passes only backwards BS. And then you go on and praise Kroos who actually plays safe as hell, which is absolutely legit.

the funny part is that most of you guys went on about ceballos and xhaka having a bad game when it was those two who kept us alive and going, eventually giving us a win. Willian was a no show for example.

also we had so many balls in west ham‘s final third and wasted so many of them.
There are two points you need to understand.
1) We are fine with Ceballos
2) We know you are @Manberg
 

AbouCuéllar

Author of A-M essays 📚
Such binary takes on here with Xhaka.

He is what he is, a good passer of the ball who struggles under pressure, who isn't very press resistant, and is slow and prone to lapses of concentration in the defensive phase.

Note that he is under no pressure for all of those good passes of his in the 2nd half. He's a fine passer when not pressured, which is a lot more than you can say for a lot of people. He struggles when there is more pace and pressure to the game, though.

He's basically our Fred. Good squad option and good enough as a starter if our ambitions are limited to top 3-6. But no, not good enough for City or Liverpool, he is not in Rodri, Fernandinho, or Fabinho's bracket.

Ceballos is better than him at everything. Ideally Ceballos takes his spot in the XI with a midfielder (Thomas--Guendouzi if he matured his game significantly) who better compliments him nexts to him, and Xhaka is a squad option, which is what he should be in a top club.
 

Furious

Emery Gone, Telly Back On
Such binary takes on here with Xhaka.

He is what he is, a good passer of the ball who struggles under pressure, who isn't very press resistant, and is slow and prone to lapses of concentration in the defensive phase.

Note that he is under no pressure for all of those good passes of his in the 2nd half. He's a fine passer when not pressured, which is a lot more than you can say for a lot of people. He struggles when there is more pace and pressure to the game, though.

He's basically our Fred. Good squad option and good enough as a starter if our ambitions are limited to top 3-6. But no, not good enough for City or Liverpool, he is not in Rodri, Fernandinho, or Fabinho's bracket.

Ceballos is better than him at everything. Ideally Ceballos takes his spot in the XI with a midfielder (Thomas--Guendouzi if he matured his game significantly) who better compliments him nexts to him, and Xhaka is a squad option, which is what he should be in a top club.

The f you on about? Better than him at everything? Absolutely laughable.

Why didn't Ceballos make a single pass like that then if it's as easy as you make it out to be? He wasn't pressured either?
 

AbouCuéllar

Author of A-M essays 📚
The f you on about? Better than him at everything? Absolutely laughable.

Why didn't Ceballos make a single pass like that then if it's as easy as you make it out to be? He wasn't pressured either?

Have a look at their passing radars from last season and compare. Ceballos' is superior.

Ceballos is:
-more press resistant
-better passer
-better dribbler
-better tackler
-better vision


Have a look at their respective FBRef if you like, as I can't find a passing radar of Xhaka's for 19-20.

https://fbref.com/en/players/e61b8aee/Granit-Xhaka
https://fbref.com/en/players/c0617e2b/Dani-Ceballos

edited: @Manberg makes a fair point-- they are different types of passers. Ceballos is certainly a better progressive passer than Xhaka in every way but that could be heavily down to role. Still feel, given that Ceballos is more press resistant, generally as good or better defensively than Xhaka, and better at receiving under pressure from deep than Xhaka, that he could do his role to a superior job, being more progressive and effective.
 
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