While it is still very early in the Arsenal career of the Swiss international midfield star Granit Xhaka, the signs are good so far. We saw during the Euro 2016 tournament this summer that our new signing had a good football brain and the ability to control a game and set the tempo with his passing from the middle of the pitch.
Along with his very good energy and work rate and a definite streak of aggression with the willingness to make a tackle, this all suggested that the Gunners were getting something of a midfield general for the £35 million or so we paid to his former club Borussia Monchengladbach.
What most of us did not really expect from him was goals. His record of nine goals from 140 games during his four seasons in Munich did not suggest that he would be chipping in like the former Arsenal captain and midfield warrior Patrick Vieira used to do, but perhaps we were wrong.
Two goals in two games from Xhaka after Arsene Wenger’s comments about him being better suited to the box-to-box role could point to the 23-year old possibly being the player that finally stops Arsenal fans asking if we will ever really replace the combative Frenchman.
So I looked a little more closely at his record and found that eight of his nine goals in Germany came in the last two seasons. Look at how long it took Aaron Ramsey to find his shooting boots and the same might be true of the new Gunner.
Do you think Xhaka could turn out to be another Vieira for Arsenal?
Bob.
for the Chelsea game we should drop Mesut. he hasn’t impressed me one bit. my line up:
cech
hector – skhodran – Laurent – Nacho
Francis – Granit
– Santiago –
Theo – Alexis – Alex Iwobi
Cech
Bellerin – Mustafi – Koscielny – Monreal
Xhaka – Cazorla
Iwobi – Ozil – Sanchez
Perez
Subs: Ospina, Gabriel, Gibbs, Coquelin, Elneny, Walcott, Oxlade
We just can’t afford to drop Walcott on current form, 2goals, 2assists so far this season, coupled with class performances.
+ he is a big game player.
Big game player hahaha
I honestly haven’t heard a better joke all year round, to even class him as a footballer is an insult anywhere else in the world barring deluded arsenal fans.
Yes I am an arsenal fab just not deluded
In the past 5 seasons, Theo has goals against United, Chelsea, Leicester (last season) multiple goals against spuds, Liverpool, City, and in the CL.
Funny how facts support us deluded arsenal fans.
In the last PL game Alexis was coming back and working well defensively in Ozil’s area. I thought we looked very good, I think for that game Arsene might have proved me and a few others wrong. Alexis will play the striker role again at the weekend if you ask me, Theo and Iwobi outside him again, and Ozil will play. I think it will be the same team that played last weekend, but if there is one change, it will be in the centre of the park. I’m predicting no change though.
Only way Xhaka gets in the team right now is for cazorla dont care how much he cost Le Coq has been a beast and is one of the first names on the team sheet for me
I think you are overrating Coq now, he has certainly not been a beast and our defence have been left exposed many times in our previous 2 games in EPL and UCL
with that line up:
Iwobi’s lack of defensive discipline will be covered by granit
granit also carries a goal threat
coq is undroppable atm
iwobi and santi will provide assists plus goal threats
Theo and Alexis will allow us to counter
ozil doesn’t deserve to start. on current form I rate iwobi higher. he can shoot, assist and doesn’t loose the ball needlessly
Xhaka is a future Arsenal captain. Credit to Wenger for getting him. I think we need to see him in more games to decide that
Absolutely not. Vieira and Xhaka are so different in profile, position and abilities that isn’t even fun to start a report comparing them.
All I know is that Xhaka is a class act.
Not like for like, Granit couldn’t win a ball so cleanly as Vieira, telescopic legs, remember that. And Vieira couldn’t ping balls so slickly as Granit does. In stature lets hope he lives up, the power, the leadership, the absolute bossing of CM.
Borussia Mönchengladbach isn’t based in Munich…
Vieira and Xhaka are different kinda players, Pogba (on his day) is more like Vieira while Xhaka is like Xabi Alonso.
do we really need to replace every old player with a like-for-like, as long as they can do what is required of them well.