Xhaka - worst buy in recent history?: Page 6 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

Xhaka - worst buy in recent history?

flobaba

Burnwinter wrote:
Ah, he's an anticommunist, no wonder he's so bad at the team basics.

You think that’s funny Burns?

goon

😆

Burnwinter

Look I've already preemptively apologised, you'll have to act way more offended than that if you want another apology.

Gazza M

i can't help but think having a weigl or fabinho type of player in his spot would improve us massively, someone comfortable under pressure and more capable of covering space

MistaT

Blah, another terrible game.

Any chance Wenger sits him after that one?

Gazza M

it's telling that even when the team is playing well, his play is noticeably below standard. and i think it's exacerbating how our defenders distribute the ball, because they can't give him the ball when he's under even a small amount of pressure

goon

Was he particularly bad today? Can’t say I noticed but either way he wasn’t great.

Asterix

He just doesn't seem to concentrate very well. He's got the skills, but not the mindset.

Jed

Asterix wrote:
He just doesn't seem to concentrate very well. He's got the skills, but not the mindset.

Agreed. He's not mentally strong enough.

Sell in the summer and replace with Nzonzi.

Bold Tone

goon wrote:
Was he particularly bad today? Can’t say I noticed but either way he wasn’t great.

I don't think he was.

I can only remember one suicidal pass in the first half.
Of course it was amplified as Mustafi went through a dodgy patch almost immediately and the team lost all rhythm till half time.
This is where i think Koscielny, as captain, should've told either Ramsey to stay back or got one of the wing backs to tuck as that would have created more short pass options in our build-up play.
e: I remember reading somewhere that Tony Adams used to do this when we were under the cosh, back in the day.
It was clear to everyone that Xhaka needed a bit more support in midfield in order to regain his composure, as he is not a cybernetic organism like Mustafi who only needs to slide on his arse.

Irish gunner wrote:
Asterix wrote:
I have a theory that Mustafi is some kind of cyborg who needs recharging. He does this by sliding across grass. Thankfully he has become somewhat better at integrating it into his football recently.

😆

Claudius

He’s a good squad player. He just doesn’t excel enough at anything to justify a starting lineup spot. I would seriously push for buying a real DM or B2B in January, and keep the rest of the team for the rest of the season. There are too many games where we just lose the plot in midfield because we cannot distrbute the ball or hold onto it. Yesterday he was shocking for the last part of the first half when we we were under pressure. When you combine him and Alexis just handing over the ball, then it puts our entire team in a situation where we are constantly switching into transition defense, which is tiring, disorienting, and dangerous.

Bold Tone

http://onsideview.com/football/premier-league/time-back-fck-off-granit-xhaka-shkodran-mustafi/
I think this article is fair for Mustafi who is producing results but Xhaka still isn't justifying that £35m price tag.

RC8

Xhaka frustrates me endlessly because he comes across as genuinely thick not just as a player, but as a person. He reminds me of Denilson.

I hope he proves me wrong, but I can never understand what he's thinking on the pitch.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

Needs binning in the summer.

Bold Tone

I like Xhaka the man and, like RC8, hope he can contribute (mönchengladbach level) to the side.

Jed

Mustafi is top class.

Xhaka was a poor signing. Could have got any of Nzonzi, Jorginho, Gonalons, Weigl or even Matić instead.

Segway

Jed wrote:
Mustafi is top class.

Xhaka was a poor signing. Could have got any of Nzonzi, Jorginho, Gonalons, Weigl or even Matić instead.

Well, at the time I think most people would have chosen Xhaka over any of these players.

goon

People were shutting all over Mustafi a month ago. That being said while I still had hope in Musti I don’t have the same feeling from Xhaka. Just a little too slow and cumbersome and not smart enough to compensate either. That being said, I’d keep him as a squaddie, he’s far better than Coq and Elneny.

Irishgunner

Segway wrote:
Jed wrote:
Mustafi is top class.

Xhaka was a poor signing. Could have got any of Nzonzi, Jorginho, Gonalons, Weigl or even Matić instead.

Well, at the time I think most people would have chosen Xhaka over any of these players.

I wanted Nzonzi and Weigl was shit hot at the time. I doubt that anyone would turn down Matic either, he's brilliant (and we would never have gotten him).

flobaba

At the time it wasn’t as if Xhaka was a high profile name or player. Speaking for myself anyway I had never heard of him - all I knew was we needed an Arteta replacement yesterday. Xhaka had decent to good reviews, and he was sufficiently young that I was open to seeing what he could do. He also came from a somewhat disciplined Bundesloga side with his role clearly defined, similar to what he does for Switzerland. Somehow his boneheadedness was translated into leadership qualities - haven’t been able to figure that one out yet...

The premier league was always going to be a step up, and while he hasn’t been great he hasn’t done too poorly. The main issues he has struggled with is the physicality and speed of the league, and that he has to be helped with through coaching and tactical / positioning instructions - which we don’t do much of. I think criticism of his overall game has been OTT- I believe he can and will get better.

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