Arsenal: Granit Xhaka's Disciplinary Record Refreshingly Necessary

Granit Xhaka has a notoriously terrible disciplinary record throughout his young career. While he must be careful for Arsenal, it is refreshingly necessary.

A criticism has been rightly laid at Arsenal for many years now. They are too soft. Since the departures of Patrick Viera and Gilberto Silva, there has been a significant absence of midfield steel, a lack of fight and desire, consistently being physically overpowered by stronger, more powerful opponents.

It has been something that many have called upon Arsene Wenger to address in the transfer market over many years without ever seeing any action. Wenger has continually spurned the chance to sign stronger, powerful, taller midfielders in favour of pursuing smaller, more diminutive technical players.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

While creative, attacking players are needed within the squad, they must be accompanied by more physically imposing, tough tackling options, something that Wenger has been unable to do in recent years. That is until this summer, as Arsenal’s latest £35 million addition looks as though he will bring the absent fight to the Gunners’ midfield.

Granit Xhaka is as much a fighter as a player. While he certainly is technically proficient, able to take care of the ball, comfortable in possession, where he will come into his own at the Emirates is due to his work without the ball. He strong, powerful and willing to put himself about, frequently lunging into tackles, sometimes with great effect and at others, in abandon at the expense of defensive shape.

Moreover, Xhaka has a particularly bad disciplinary record, picking up his seventh red card in just over two years on Tuesday night in Switzerland’s 2-0 win over Portugal. He also committed the third most fouls in the Bundesliga last season and has a tendency to rack up the yellow cards like former Arsenal midfield anchor, Viera.

While Xhaka must play with far more care and attention, bringing an element of hot-headedness is needed in this Arsenal team. The Swiss international is not yet the next Viera as the poll on the aforementioned piece suggests. It is utterly ridiculous to say that he is after only two starts and one sub appearance, but in his performances thus far, both for the national side and Arsenal, his game is perfectly suited to accompany the likes of Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil.

Xhaka looks to be a terrific signing so far, and while his disciplinary record does need to improve, it is a definite positive to his game, especially given the weaknesses of the squad already.

This article originally appeared on