Granit Xhaka: Page 11 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

Granit Xhaka

Jed

Guendouzi was more intelligent than this clown. He did it when the game was over and there was nothing riding on it anymore. “Non-negotiable” when it concerns Guendouzi but not Mr Professional who once told the fans to fuck off though.

goon

Arteta came out and praised Pepe in the aftermath of that incident, said the same things about the player needing the club behind him etc. I think Claudius had it spot on, he fucked up with the initial Pepe reaction and learned from it. He definitely has favorites and Pepe isn't one of them, but I wouldn't read too much into it.

Klaus

You'd expect the manager to back our players even if they'd killed someone. What Arteta says in press conferences and what he says in private are probably two very different things. Xhaka was already losing his spot to Elneny before the latter got covid. I wouldn't expect to see him in many starting elevens from now on if Arteta gets a stay of execution over Christmas.

Coombs

Agree, Xhaka was being phased out of the PL squad. Circumstances drove him back in and he's taken that opportunity to tighten his noose a bit.

awooga83

Well you would think if Xhaka is the leader character he's claimed to be he would come out himself and say he let people down with that reaction because it's indefensible. But seems like he won't and that sums his 'leadership'up.

GooneriC

Looks a completely different player when he is on national duty. Just not the right fit for us.

Anzac

goon wrote:
Arteta came out and praised Pepe in the aftermath of that incident, said the same things about the player needing the club behind him etc. I think Claudius had it spot on, he fucked up with the initial Pepe reaction and learned from it. He definitely has favorites and Pepe isn't one of them, but I wouldn't read too much into it.

Pepe also issued an unreserved public apology to his team mates, the manager(?), club and supporters.

If Xhaka doesn't do so (again) then IMO that puts him in the same boat (re the non-apology) as Guendouzi. At a pinch I can understand (but not agree with) his refusal to apologise re the C Palace game, but any refusal to do so now combined with the incident re Alioski should be non-negotiables.

Anzac

GooneriC wrote:
Looks a completely different player when he is on national duty. Just not the right fit for us.

Another like Ozil who needs the team set up around him.

Playing Devil's Advocate I wonder if this is what he thought was happening last season with the team structure when he was playing the hybrid LCB role, and he's cracked the shits when Arteta has forced him out of that comfort zone in trying to balance the flanks? Not that I particularly care, but I wonder if he saw himself as inheriting Ozil's status as the key player & focal point as the only other recognised playmaker in the side and having the team built around him as seen for Ozil under AW.

Claudius

You raise some good points, Anzac. I’ve always hated Xhaka. The points you raise highlight that Xhaka is the face of the crumbling institutional culture at Arsenal right now. He is emblematic of everything that is wrong with late stage Wenger era to current day Arsenal, highlighting the underlying destruction in capabilities. First of all, we never should’ve recruited Xhaka and certainly not at the price he arrived at. At the time he arrived, there were stories that he was a “StatDNA hire” suggesting an initial problem in the integration of analytical tools and human expertise. And very soon after he started playing, it became evident that this was an inferior player who was too slow. But instead of moving him on quickly while he still had value, we sat on a decision and eventually extended him, furthering the pain. Amidst all this, we dealt with his destruction of attacks, his numerous clumsy tackles. And then I the last 2 years we’ve had to see him end our Champions League run with a typically ghastly challenge, and then walk off the field. What’s particularly appalling about the latter is that it destroyed player-fan relations but also suggested that we are a club where players can get away with ungentlemanly conduct. Even in an era of non-negotiables.

So that’s what Xhaka is: a limited, poisonous player who has long exceeded his sell-by date. Mr Arsenal 2020.

awooga83

Exactly Claudius he is as an individual an example of current day Arsenal. Nowhere near good enough and persevering with things that are not working for too long. We don't have that ruthless edge you need to get towards the top. Also we tolerate unacceptable behaviour and actions like the stuff with the fans. How can we come out of that and he doesn't have to acknowledge at the very least that he played a part in that incident and his reaction was not appropriate/didn't help.

He never accepts responsibility and that is very much the culture of the club. But we are surprised that people who don't take responsibility don't really learn or improve, well that's what happens if you aren't accountable.

Anzac

I've disliked him for quite some time for all the reasons above, but only turned to hate re the lack of apology re the C Palace incident.

That said I do not think he is alone in being emblematic of our era in decline, and I include the likes of Mustafi, Bellerin, Ozil, Kolasinac and Lacazette as being part of that same core issues. IMO this is what happens when you lack a clearly defined strategy to the football you want to play, and the recruitment strategy to achieve those outcomes.

On a side note IMO AW's comment about needing to re-integrate Ozil into the starting XI is indicative of the culture that has been a major part of this demise.

EDIT - just to emphasise my point about Xhaka not being the only such player - my list of names is based upon players signed during AW's reign with at least 1 season under AW before his departure. If we look at the positions they play we have 2 FBs, CB, CM, AM & CF, with both the CM and AM being the primary playmakers expected to make the team function = that is a spine of players that are not fit for purpose that are still at the club.

Sicario

Has this cunt apologised yet?

lorddulaarsenal

No. He won’t either.

He’s done at Arsenal.

Gazza M

parteys injury subjected our eyeballs to more of this jabroni. he'll get some europa minutes at best before slinking out the door in either winter or summer

Anzac

Sicario wrote:
Has this cunt apologised yet?

Unlikely if he hasn't done so as yet, and he probably expects to be selected as soon as the suspension ends.

Anzac

Gazza M wrote:
parteys injury subjected our eyeballs to more of this jabroni. he'll get some europa minutes at best before slinking out the door in either winter or summer

I quite expect him to follow Ozil's example to show 'loyalty' to the club and to see out his contract whilst fighting for his place in the team = AW's 'loyalty' to his contract continues to draw a heavy price.

Claudius

Chelsea out-passed us 428 to 229. But one player’s pass map stood out for me. I can’t remember Grant Xhaka playing so positively in the last two years. He was heavily involved in all 3 goals and finally played like a midfield creator.

His top pass recipients were Tierney and Smith-Rowe, not centre backs. We know Xhaka doesn’t run. I think what helped him was people running off him. On the Saka goal for example, he does a 1-2 and then sees Bellerin sprinting into space on touchline and feeds him perfectly. There’s also the through ball he gives Tierney who is charging into the box before he gets tripped for the penalty. Xhaka’s forward passes were him trying to find his fullbacks and his 10 running. It helped to have a mobile, intelligent 10 in the 4231 before him.

Hopefully, this is something he can build on. We need Xhaka to do well. The things he did today - Elneny and Willock cannot replicate that. So unless an established midfielder arrives next week, our best path this season is for Xhaka to do this once a week.

awooga83

For me Xhaka always has a good performance in him but what limits him is they are few and far between. He was decent today but like his free kick, too often it doesn't happen.

I still think he should be top of the upgrade priority and this one performance shouldn't fool us as we've seen him for years now.

Meatwad

the great performances should be used to sell him for the most money possible. you can't trust him.

Claudius

Meatwad wrote:
the great performances should be used to sell him for the most money possible. you can't trust him.

I definitely do not trust him. But I also know that we need to replace him. We can’t just dump him and leave the team to Elneny and Willock. No need to cut off the nose to spite the face

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