Granit Xhaka: Swiss Army Knife or Blunt Tool?

[Pastore]

If that’s the case why do City and Liverpool steamroll the league with their pressing?

Because they have decent midfielders.

 

[RacingPhoton]

If that’s the case why do City and Liverpool steamroll the league with their pressing?

They steamroll the league. But it is not totally based on pressing. How many goals have they scored by pressing and winning the ball back in dangerous areas against top teams?

 

[Trilly]

They steamroll the league. But it is not totally based on pressing. How many goals have they scored by pressing and winning the ball back in dangerous areas against top teams?

I’m not sure but I’m sure it’s a decent amount. Also a successful press doesn’t always result in a goal.

I think we’ve seen that most sides in the league can’t play around a good press. Don’t think that’s outrageous at all.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Think Xhaka is okay at passing out of a press, compared to the average footballer anyway.

I wouldn't agree with that. He is too one-footed and immobile to deal with even a weak press. Think he knows this, which is why he often hides in the buildup and doesn't even try to get open so the CBs can get the ball to him.

To me the issue is that he is very one-footed pared with a serious lack of mobility. So there are a lot of situations when he is pressed that he simply cannot deal with. He cannot turn quickly with the ball and it has to be in a certain direction to be even reasonably fast.

 

[razörist]

I wouldn't agree with that. He is too one-footed and immobile to deal with even a weak press. Think he knows this, which is why he often hides in the buildup and doesn't even try to get open so the CBs can get the ball to him.

To me the issue is that he is very one-footed pared with a serious lack of mobility. So there are a lot of situations when he is pressed that he simply cannot deal with. He cannot turn quickly with the ball and it has to be in a certain direction to be even reasonably fast.

Jep at least lately he’s been passing it to the side when pressed while facing his own goal. We create an open man with Tierney playing centreback, he pushes up to left back and the LWB comes inside or goes forward. With a back 4 Xhaka under pressure will be a huge problem.

 

[say yes]

Man there’s some really weird posting in this thread.

1. The idea that we could replace Xhaka in DM with Auoar is risible, this isn’t FIFA ffs.

2. You can break the opposition’s press by passing or dribbling through it. Passing wise, Xhaka is really useful against the press. He’s a very sharp passer and always shows for the ball. Moreover, he has the ability to instantly bypass several lines of opposition if there is good movement ahead of him: he is the most progressive passer in our team, and one of the best in the league. There’s thus a nice sting in the tail for any opposition who presses a defence containing Luiz & him too aggressively.

3. However, when the passing lanes are closed, Xhaka clearly doesn’t have that elite ability of Cazorla, Busquets, Thiago etc to wriggle out of pressure. He’s not very mobile, can’t dribble through the lines, and is often guilty of holding onto the ball too long rather than just getting rid. The solution to this is to ensure he always has options on the ball. I have a huge amount of faith in Arteta to do this.

 

[Taneruit]

2. You can break the opposition’s press by passing or dribbling through it. Passing wise, Xhaka is really useful against the press. He’s a very sharp passer and always shows for the ball. Moreover, he has the ability to instantly bypass several lines of opposition if there is good movement ahead of him: he is the most progressive passer in our team, and one of the best in the league. There’s thus a nice sting in the tail for any opposition who presses a defence containing Luiz & him too aggressively.

I agree, what is also true as well though is that he's not doing that as frequently recently than he did under Emery where he constantly topped those stats in the team. That's down to how Arteta utilizes him tactically though and I don't think anybody can say he was better under Emery.

 

[Taneruit]

Case in point

 

[Oxeki]

Man there’s some really weird posting in this thread.

1. The idea that we could replace Xhaka in DM with Auoar is risible, this isn’t FIFA ffs.

2. You can break the opposition’s press by passing or dribbling through it. Passing wise, Xhaka is really useful against the press. He’s a very sharp passer and always shows for the ball. Moreover, he has the ability to instantly bypass several lines of opposition if there is good movement ahead of him: he is the most progressive passer in our team, and one of the best in the league. There’s thus a nice sting in the tail for any opposition who presses a defence containing Luiz & him too aggressively.

3. However, when the passing lanes are closed, Xhaka clearly doesn’t have that elite ability of Cazorla, Busquets, Thiago etc to wriggle out of pressure. He’s not very mobile, can’t dribble through the lines, and is often guilty of holding onto the ball too long rather than just getting rid. The solution to this is to ensure he always has options on the ball. I have a huge amount of faith in Arteta to do this.

Luiz is a far better passer than Xhaka. I'd back Luiz to be able to beat a press more than Xhaka. Besides no one said we should replace Xhaka with Aoaur. It would be stupid to suggest so. They're different player. The latter is a deep cm/DM the former is a offensive cm/AM.

 

[Oxeki]

3. However, when the passing lanes are closed, Xhaka clearly doesn’t have that elite ability of Cazorla, Busquets, Thiago etc to wriggle out of pressure. He’s not very mobile, can’t dribble through the lines, and is often guilty of holding onto the ball too long rather than just getting rid. The solution to this is to ensure he always has options on the ball. I have a huge amount of faith in Arteta to do this.

This is the main reason we should be actively looking for a replacement. If we're serious about being an competitive team, we should phase him out.

Since he's been here, he's never been linked with a move to a top team, only to Hertha Berlin FFS

 

[say yes]

This is the main reason we should be actively looking for a replacement. If we're serious about being an competitive team, we should phase him out.

Since he's been here, he's never been linked with a move to a top team, only to Hertha Berlin FFS

Nah, players who can dictate play from deep and beat the press with a drop of their shoulder are one in a million. If we can find the next Busquets then great, but it’s not the problem with this current team.

Too many people on this forum want us to sell starting XI players for their perceived imperfections, without any realistic replacement lined up. Not every player has to be perfect ffs.

 

[Trilly]

I wouldn't agree with that. He is too one-footed and immobile to deal with even a weak press. Think he knows this, which is why he often hides in the buildup and doesn't even try to get open so the CBs can get the ball to him.

To me the issue is that he is very one-footed pared with a serious lack of mobility. So there are a lot of situations when he is pressed that he simply cannot deal with. He cannot turn quickly with the ball and it has to be in a certain direction to be even reasonably fast.

Cazorla has broken some of you guys honestly.

You’re acting like we crumble every time we get pressed but if that was the case we wouldn’t be 4th in the the table since Arteta took over.

Go and check highlights of the city game and tell me that Xhaka wasn’t involved in our patterns of play. As a team we do well at evading the press, that’s how we’ve scored a good chunk of our goals.

If you can’t break the press you pass it to someone who isn’t being pressed and move until an angle is opened up. That’s just tactics. Players who can single handedly break a press are elite, but a team can function with players who can pass the ball around a press until it’s over/a gap is found.

 

[Trilly]

Nah, players who can dictate play from deep and beat the press with a drop of their shoulder are one in a million.

I was told that these players are common. So then I asked if that’s the case why does any decent pressing team steamroll the league. The response I got didn’t even make sense.

Xhaka thread for you.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Cazorla has broken some of you guys honestly.

You’re acting like we crumble every time we get pressed but if that was the case we wouldn’t be 4th in the the table since Arteta took over.

Go and check highlights of the city game and tell me that Xhaka wasn’t involved in our patterns of play. As a team we do well at evading the press, that’s how we’ve scored a good chunk of our goals.

If you can’t break the press you pass it to someone who isn’t being pressed and move until an angle is opened up. That’s just tactics. Players who can single handedly break a press are elite, but a team can function with players who can pass the ball around a press until it’s over/a gap is found.

Are you not confusing / mixing team performance with individual player strengths & weaknesses? Of course the latter forms part of the former but can be offset by better and more skilled players and tactical setup. I simply do not rate Xhaka and would like to see us part ways with him. I have seen him over several years play for us and I think he is one of the reasons we are a mid table team now.

 

[Manberg]

One tactic used against the press is that Xhaka holds onto the ball long enough for opposing players to get close to him, he then passes backwards to Luiz or Mustafi who when pressed then lob the ball over the press or pass back to Martinez who played it out from the back. When playing out the back there were attacking players such as Auba, Laca and Pepe coming deep in order to provide passing options.
These are all tactics that were implemented after the restart.

Asking for individual brilliance to beat the press by the drop of the shoulder is not a criticism of Xhaka. There are alternative ways to beat the press.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

and always shows for the ball.

Is this what you see? I see the opposite.

Yes, he can do a decent job passing if he receives the ball in space facing forward, but God help us and him if he is under pressure or the ball doesn’t come to his left foot correctly.

 

[Macho]

Yeah I disagree with that strongly also - Ceballos did a much better job at making himself available for the pass. He is probably used to having to work in tighter spaces from naturally playing higher up the pitch.

Not Xhaka's strong suit at all - any sort of pressure, yeah he doesn't want to know. Often leads to one of his dodgy passes too.

 

[Ash10]

People making up things to defend Xhaka as usual

 

[RacingPhoton]

Man there’s some really weird posting in this thread.

1. The idea that we could replace Xhaka in DM with Auoar is risible, this isn’t FIFA ffs.

2. You can break the opposition’s press by passing or dribbling through it. Passing wise, Xhaka is really useful against the press. He’s a very sharp passer and always shows for the ball. Moreover, he has the ability to instantly bypass several lines of opposition if there is good movement ahead of him: he is the most progressive passer in our team, and one of the best in the league. There’s thus a nice sting in the tail for any opposition who presses a defence containing Luiz & him too aggressively.

3. However, when the passing lanes are closed, Xhaka clearly doesn’t have that elite ability of Cazorla, Busquets, Thiago etc to wriggle out of pressure. He’s not very mobile, can’t dribble through the lines, and is often guilty of holding onto the ball too long rather than just getting rid. The solution to this is to ensure he always has options on the ball. I have a huge amount of faith in Arteta to do this.

Agree with 1. Auoar is not the kind of player who can replace Xhaka. Partey is the right profile. If we are not going to get Partey, we should be getting someone else to move on from him.

Totally disagree with 2 partly because of 3. He is not mobile, cannot dribble through the lines and holds the ball for too long. These weaknesses can be and have been exploited regularly by teams. Xhaka mostly has options when he receives the ball. He wastes too much time executing the pass and by then all the passing lanes are covered. This has been a trend in all the errors he has made. At the time he has decided to pass the ball to someone, the lane is clear. But by the time he executes the pass, the lane is gone. He can bypass several lines of opposition only if he is given enough time on the ball which hardly happens.

For Xhaka to show any of his good attacking skills, we basically want the opposition to just stop playing. Arteta can't do this. No manager can do this.

 

[Trilly]

If Xhaka is as bad as you all say when it comes to facing a press then we wouldn’t be 4th in the form table since January or have won the FA cup.

We would have fallen apart pretty regularly because teams do actually try to press us or are we ignoring that?