Arsenal: Granit Xhaka Goals Encouraging But Not Necessary

Granit Xhaka scored yet another screamer in Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest. While they are encouraging, they do not warrant game time alone.

Arsenal have, perhaps since the departure of Gilberto Silva and Patrick Viera, lacked a physical presence in their central midfield. This has particularly hindered them defensively against better sides, where Arsene Wenger’s men cannot simply outplay them as their technically-based game is no longer superior to their opponents.

It has been baffling for many years as to why Arsene Wenger has been unwilling to accept and then attempt to solve the problem. Until this summer, that is. Granit Xhaka was targeted, pursued and ultimately signed in a rather uncharacteristically deliberate £35 million move. It was hoped that he would bring the much-needed steel to a midfield plagued by a soft underbelly.

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Thus far, such hopes have not yet played out, primarily due to Wenger’s rather confusing team selection in continually dropping Xhaka in favour of his tried, tested and trusted duo of Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla. However, in limited time off the bench and once more on Tuesday night against Nottingham Forest, Xhaka has displayed his talent.

Two scorching goals indicate his technical mastery and physical power and have led to some to believing that he should be starting in more competitive games, like this weekend’s match with Chelsea, for example. Such beliefs, though, miss the primary reason why Xhaka was signed.

One of the greatest holding midfielders in the Premier League era is Claude Makelele. In fact, his ability was so much so, that the deep-lying, defensive anchorman position was often referred to as the ‘Makelele role’. In 873 career games, for club and country, the former Chelsea star scored 25 goals, including only two in 217 Chelsea appearances.

And yet, he is considered one of the best midfielders of his generation, not for his goals, but for his defensive work rate, his energy, his physicality and his ability to time and again, retrieve possession before setting up another attack for his side. That is where Xhaka benefits this team more than anything else. Not his wide range of passing, while exemplary, not his long range shooting or his calmness in possession, while most certainly beneficial. But rather, his strength and his intelligence.

Goals are wonderful to see from his game, and if Wenger chooses to deploy him in a more advanced role alongside Francis Coquelin, then he will be expected to chip in with his fair share of attacking returns. However, they will never be as important as many other defensive attributes that he brings to the side. The question of whether Xhaka should be playing or not is a complex one. Goals do not help reveal the answer.

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