Gurgen wrote:
And you are right. Xhaka is simply one of our best players. Now that may say more about the rest of the players, but it's a verifiable fact.
Nope & I'd even go so far as to say I'd be tempted to label him as being our worst signing in the last decade or so because he is instrumental in the decline of the team and the football since he was signed. That's not his fault as he was never anything other than a bad fit for what we wanted or needed. AW changed his description of him 3x in the first 5-7 weeks IIRC = playing high up the pitch, playing box 2 box, playing as a holding CM role etc. 3 managers have tried to make it work with him as the fulcrum to our play, and all 3 have failed to turn our performances / fortune around, and Xhaka is at the heart of that team failure.
Xhaka isn't our best player and by some distance. What makes him appear to be is that he is the ONLY starting player in the senior squad who can play in that deep playmaker role in midfield. Again that's not his fault but is an indictment against our transfer business, and our want to hang on to players and our willingness to compromise rather than simply addressing the issue head on and replace the square peg.
IMO the biggest issue with Xhaka being the fulcrum of our play is that he is risk adverse and his first instinct is about safety, yet when he is under pressure he lacks composure and is quite reckless in his decision making.
