Player Analysis: Granit Xhaka — The Misunderstood Leader
An analysis on the best thing that’s come out of Switzerland since Toblerone, ok maybe not.
Captain Conundrum
When the word “Captain” is mentioned around Arsenal supporters, legends such as Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry or even Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (albeit recency bias) would probably be the first few names to be referenced. These players were not only leaders who commanded respect in the dressing room, but also legends of the game whose loyalty resonated well with the Gooners. That said, it won’t take long for fans to grimace at the catastrophe surrounding the armband in recent history.
William Gallas was stripped of the armband after criticizing youngsters for the lack of courage and bad harmony in the dressing room; Fabregas and Van Persie requested for transfers, with the former allegedly taking a pay cut to join Barcelona while the latter chose to follow the ‘little boy’ in his heart, joining rivals Manchester United. These were just 3 of the many controversies surrounding the captaincy role at the Emirates. Perhaps the most recent memory of the infamous captain conundrum revolves around Granit Xhaka. The Swiss captain responded to the constant jeers and ironic applauses after being substituted by swearing at them, before striding down the tunnel.
It is fair to say Granit Xhaka is a rather divisive figure amongst Arsenal supporters. Signed from Borussia Monchengladbach for €45.00m in 2016, expectations were high on the midfielder, with many drawing comparisons with former captain Patrick Vieira due to his leadership qualities as well as technical prowess shown in the Bundesliga. Fast forward to recent day, it is fair to say the reality is not as appealing.
Nonetheless, the 28-year-old’s performances since Arteta’s arrival has been consistent, if not impressive. The midfielder found a new lease of life under the Spaniard and has spearheaded the Gunners into FA Cup and Community Shield glory. Xhaka has also been Arteta’s most used player since the latter’s appointment in late 2019 (5851 minutes across 71 games), perhaps indicative of the importance the Swiss brings into the team, playing in a more refined role than he has for previous managers.
The dashboard below shows why Xhaka is highly regarded by Arteta and the importance to Arsenal when compared to other midfielders in the league. This analysis will cover the Swiss’s performance with club and country last season. All figures below are based on performance per 90 minutes played, according to FBref via StatsBomb.
The Captain Without the Armband
“Granit Xhaka is the main man in the entire Arsenal midfield, you can’t see it unless I lend you one of my eye. Without him, Arsenal is lost. He is a leader. Remember, mistakes are made by humans.”
- Jose Mourinho
Now, I understand Xhaka is a rather controversial figure amongst the fanbase and perhaps this article wouldn’t go down as well as I hope. Granit Xhaka remains an enigma to the supporters, with constant malign and abuse hurled at him on a weekly basis. But, if there’s one thing you simply cannot criticize the man about, it’s his leadership. Despite being stripped of the armband, Xhaka remains a core figure amongst the leadership group at the club. Ever since the departure of Viera, Arsenal had lacked the inspirational figure who rallies his troops for battle every single week. Xhaka was signed to fill the void and if he’d offer anything in his 5-year spell at Arsenal, it’s certainly that.
His professionalism and determination have also drawn praises from current manager, Mikel Arteta and (soon to be manager) Jose Mourinho, who both reference his attitude and other intangible qualities he brings to the team. On the pitch, Xhaka voice is a constant throughout the 90 minutes, shouting instructions at teammates and organizing the team from his favorite deep midfield role. Such instructions can be heard in the Open Mic video posted by Arsenal on YouTube down here.
Speaking of his favorite role, Granit Xhaka’s responsibility on the pitch has never been clearer ever since Arteta took charge. When he first arrived in the league, it is clear to see the pace of the league has caught him by surprise, often leading to poor giveaways or getting caught out of possession. He lacked the pace to cover the ground and it’d often result in a goal conceded. Wenger initially brought him in to offer the team creativity further up the pitch, 5 years on and perhaps the greatest influence Xhaka provides is from a deeper role.
The Quarterback Role
Granit Xhaka excels as the deepest midfielder in the team where he is able to see the whole game in front of him rather than having his back to goal. Thus, when Arsenal are in transition, Arteta has instructed Xhaka to drop to left sided center back, forming a back three while Tierney is pushed up higher. Essentially, he is covering for Tierney so that the left flank won’t be exposed. His passing game is also more refined as the Swiss’s main responsibility is to propel the team forward by supplying balls down the left flank. With this, he has struck up a great telepathic understanding with Tierney, constantly supplying searching over the top through balls down the left flank for the Scotsman to run onto. In comparison to the lone 6 role he occupied under Emery, his tasks now are much straightforward and much less of a burden.
A common stigma of Xhaka is that he rarely plays risky passes and offers the safer sideway passes for the team. Last season, Xhaka ranks amongst the league’s best progressive passers with 9.713 final third passes and 7.565 progressive passes amongst central midfielders. To put it in context, Manchester United duo Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes has registered lesser final third passes and progressive passes last season. Though this is likely due to the deeper position occupied by Xhaka, long penetrative balls forwards are much more feasible given the amount space he operates in.
Xhaka’s creativity and vision isn’t poor either, capable of line breaking passes from deep. The assist he claimed against France is a great example of Xhaka’s vision and technique. As the midfielder receives the ball at the center of the pitch, he carries it slightly before spotting the run of Gavranović, who finishes emphatically.
Incisive Passing
That said, there is some truth to his reluctance to play the ball forward when given the ball. When calculating the Forward Intent (Progressive Carries + Progressive Passes / Total Carries + Total Passes) of midfielders in the Premier League, Xhaka ranks as the 44th percentile. This goes to show that for the amount of passes and carries performed by the midfielder, he probably isn’t as progressive as many might hope. Nevertheless, it’s his Progression Speed (Progressive Distance of Carries + Progressive Distance of Passes / Number of Touches) which catches the eye, as he ranks as the 98th percentile. This shows that he is able to progress the ball up the field with minimal touches possible, making attacks and transitions much harder to defend against and defenders less time to react. Safe to say that Xhaka may not always progress the ball forward, but when he does, he makes sure it counts for something.
His assist against Southampton is perhaps the clearest illustration of this special trait. Upon receiving the ball, Xhaka takes a touch before releasing Pepe with his second, before Valery and Bednarek could close him down. This quick incisive pass has given the Southampton defence no chance in intercepting it as they weren’t ready for it. Had Xhaka took his time or an extra touch, the defence would’ve been in position already, denying the chance for Pepe to score.
Another example of Xhaka’s incisive one touch releases can be seen in his role in Switzerland’s third goal against Turkey in the Euros. As he receives the pass from Zuber, he immediately plays a return ball with his first touch, cutting the midfield open as they were not prepared to intercept it. Zuber runs onto the ball and claims an assist as his cross met Shaqiri.
Defensive Refinements
For years, it is evident that defending is not amongst Xhaka’s strengths. Under Emery, Xhaka and Torreira have been the main midfield pivot, but strangely it is the latter who has the license to roam forward, which leaves The Swiss captain as the lone 6 in the Spaniard’s system. The amount of ground Xhaka was left to cover was too much for him, especially given he isn’t the most athletic midfielder to start with. This left Arsenal very exposed in midfield with many teams finding it easy to play through the Gunners.
Now playing in a deeper position, his running distance is essentially reduced and isn’t dragged across the pitch as much as he’d like. His defensive responsibilities have been minimized, which comes to no coincidence to see his best defensive performance in North London last season. Xhaka can now anticipate play for interceptions and engage in challenges he is most likely to win, rather than getting beaten in 50/50s.
When calculating Xhaka’s Possession Regain Frequency (Number of Tackles + Interceptions + Ball Recoveries), the 28-year-old ranks as the 73rd percentile amongst central midfielders in the league, proving to be a more competent defender as he was in the past. His reading of the game and anticipation has indeed come to the fold last season, with the Swiss preventing numerous counter attacks from advancing.
Against Tottenham, a clear counter attacking opportunity was present when Tottenham look to run at the back two of Xhaka and Partey, upon defending their corner. Xhaka was calm and read the entire play like a book. As Bale looks to cut the ball and plays it towards Moura who was running beyond Xhaka, the Swiss steps up and intercepted the pass before the intended target. Had the pass gone through, Spurs would be in a 3 v 1 situation against Partey, and you just know how the script would unfold if that’d happened.
Much-Improved Defender
When calculating the Ball Winning Abilities (Successful Pressures + Successful Tackles / Total Pressures + Attempted Tackles) of Xhaka, the midfielder ranks as the 70th percentile, once again proving to be a much more competent defender than he was in seasons prior. When it comes to his duels with dribblers, Xhaka has achieved a career high of 1.18 successful tackles per90. When ranked amongst midfielders, only 7 other players got more tackles. He has done so by only committing 1.39 fouls per 90, which is the least number of fouls given away since his debut season for Arsenal (1.34 per 90). This goes to show the improved timing of his challenges and the precision of it last season.
A classic remonstration of the tackles he puts in are not rash but timed and precise, ensuring he gets the ball before the man. Slide tackles can also be a great way to assert dominance in one individual, which can be displayed in the game against Spurs. When Doherty finally got past the right back at the byline in the 78th minute, he looked to provide a dangerous cross into the box for the first time in the game. But Xhaka sprinted across to deny him that opportunity with a brilliant slide tackle just at the edge of the box. Timed to perfection and won the ball cleanly, and it had to be as it’d come with a cost of a penalty had he’d been rash and careless.
Roma Bound?
Granit Xhaka is probably best described as a box of contradictions. People adore him for his fiery attitude, but it’s the same reason why some don’t. Trusted by his managers, loved by his teammates, but constantly vilified online by fans. Xhaka’s 5-year spell is seemingly coming to an end, with the Swiss being approached by Mourinho’s Roma, and what a player he will be for them.
Irrespective of what he has said or done in the past, Xhaka has been one of Arsenal’s more consistent performer over the past 2 seasons. Perhaps finishing 8th in back-to-back seasons isn’t the best way to leave things but for what it’s worth, Xhaka deserves to be respected for the determination and courage in the midst of chaos. His leadership qualities will sorely be missed for if there’s one thing that defines the Swiss international, its that.
Twitter: @chunhang7
