Granit Xhaka has been named as a member of the Premier League team of the season.
The Swiss midfielder has emerged as a reliable member of Mikel Arteta’s team since the Spaniard has been the Arsenal coach.
He almost left the Gunners in 2019 after falling out with the fans, but the appointment of Arteta changed things for him.
He has remained a key part of the squad and even played as a left-back in some games for them when Kieran Tierney was out with an injury.
This season saw many an up and down for most teams with Manchester City eventually winning the Premier League.
Arsenal was one of the poor teams as they finished outside the European places even though a seventh-placed finish would have earned them a European Conference League slot.
Football London reports that CIES Football Observatory has named Xhaka in the XI of the best Premier League stars of the season alongside the likes of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling.
He is in their midfield and partners Manchester City’s Rodri in the middle of the pack.
CIES says they use data from Opta to determine the impact each of those players made for their team in the league.
Well this is going to set the cat amongst the pigeons…
That’s a good one for a much maligned player. Good player grossly under appreciated by some Arsenal fans, but stats don’t lie
Told you guys 🙂
Looking forward to an even bigger impact from Xhaka next season.
COYG!
Every season we kept saying same thing.
A major slap in the face of the all-knowing arm chair pundits. I thought he was brilliant yesterday.
Travesty of the highest order…
From the day he joined and i have never changed my view and still dont, i said we will never get top 4 with him in our midfield and i was/am right. I dont know who this spurious CEIS is, probably run by his dad but i will wait and see the genuine Premier league team of the season first because no one on earth, except his dad would ever have him in a prem team. He is a donkey and when we get top 4 with him in our midfield, then i will praise the guy, until then i will rely on my better judgement.
Your ignorance of the CIES (and being proud of the fact) just underlines why your “better judgement” is worthless.
Obviously Sky Sports,BBC Sports and BT sport dont appreciate Ceis either! Not a mention!
The best deep lying midfielder in the country. I wouldn’t change him for any other player.
Get ready for no forth place challenge then. He has ruined our midfield dominance. And Argooner, i think my judgement is spot on. How in earth can anyone rate xhaka and say he isn’t part of our decline.
What a sad commentary on the state of that particular position in the League…the only saving grace of this seemingly worst decision ever is that we should be able to get a pretty penny for this negative tactics enabler…would someone please just finally reveal what incredibly secret information he or his family possesses that has allowed this underwhelming performer to continually occupy a starting position during three separate and distinctly differing managerial reigns…simply put, mindboggling
He cant even get in Arsenals team of the year. Lol
Don’t talk rubbish. One of our key players who has been brilliant since Arteta became manager. Thoroughly deserved
I’ll take your rubbish comments with a large grain of salt considering the misguided “brilliant” and “key player” compliments you bestowed upon Xhaka…you do realize he played the most minutes for an underachieving middling club who employed some of the most negative tactics in the land, in large part due to the fact that Xhaka needed to be protected in the defensive zone even though he was largely being deployed as a deep-lying pivot…talk about your lowered expectations
Martin, hes has been brilliant, for a donkey. Sooner he is gone, the sooner our midfield will look better.
Wenger appreciated him
Hitzfeld apprecieated him
Emery appreciated him
Arteta appreciate him
And som e fans who cannot even leader a warm up are shouting”xakha out”….No comment…
3 of those have either got the sack or should of, so not very good recommendations.
Cannot lead
Oh that he can.
He’s not a well-rounded, player. He has great ability in some areas, and glaring weaknesses in others. Unfortunately, some fans are incapable of appreciating him for what he does tremendously well.
If his deficiencies are accounted for tactically, then he has much to offer, and improves those around him, such as Thomas.
He keeps the possession ticking over in a manner that nobody else in the squad can.
He has shown great utility this year, playing in a variety of positions, covering adequately and without complaint when needed.
His abilities make him a massive asset to the team, and our performances in his absence clearly demonstrate.
How much did he pay? Or does he have a twin brother? Thomson and Thompson… Absurd.
Some of our fans suffer from a disease called irrationality! Once once gets infected with this disease one will never accept reality even when it all clear to everyone. We lost a number of good players because of this trend. A few examples will suffice: Adebayor, Gervinho, Bendtner, Giroud etc. I am always eager to learn what causes this situation of extreme hate for an individual player but have never got any satisfactory answer. Perhaps it is mob psychology! One individual starts it all and the blind followers join in.
In the case of Chaka, do we need statistics to remind us how good he is? If you want to know Xhaka’s use just compare our performances when he is in the team and when he is absent. It is very obvious that Chaka plays a very big role in our team which some of our delusional fans will never appreciate. Fortunately four distinguished coaches fully acknowledge his quality and ultimately that’s what matters not the antics of some biased fellows!
minus Adebayor, your love of mediocrity is duly noted…btw two of the managers were justifiably dismissed and the 3rd is hanging by a proverbial thread…the only common thread between these 2 distinguished manager/coach and Arteta, who’s clearly not distinguished, is our steady decline and the seemingly constant presence of Chaka in the starting lineup…so when you throw around words like “irrational” and “biased” please look squarely in the mirror first, as it just might save you from some serious embarrassment in the future
Correction: computer error Chaka not Chaka.
Xhaka instead of Chaka. Sorry for the intransigence of the machine!
bang average. Very inconsistent. That fact he’s been here so long and people on this site still think he is so good is just crazy. Has anyone in world football tried to sign him since hes been at Arsenal? Since he’s so so good. Oh yeah, Hertha Berlin.
i like him so much he deserve to be the world 11 best not just in england
I have wanted Xhaka out of the starting 11 too. Mainly because of his lack discipline lack of pace and deficiencies on the press. Put he is a very intelligent player a good passer of the ball and this season has been the start of our build up play. Plus he seems to have sorted his indiscipline out quite a bit.
In previous seasons, he has taken a massive knock from sections of our “support”. Imagine the state of his mental health, with the wicked and vile hate he gets on social media and threats to him and his family. But he turns out every week and gives his all for Arsenal and For that he deserves his plaudits this season.
He is a key member of this club, even though he shouldn’t be a nailed on starter. He is a team player and a great squad player to have
It’s a shame we couldn’t merge him and Elneny into 1 player. What a midfielder we would have then lol
Xhaka has only a small sweet spot in that area of midfield. Want Arsenal to play well? Have the ball in front of him. Other than that he is awkward and not agile in the final 3rd and too slow tracking back defensively. No surprise why he committed the most fouls to make up for his defensive deficiencies. Remember he gets slower as he ages. So….
We are more balanced and play better with him in the team, in my opinion.
Yes but we are only a mid table team, he isnt capable of better. Appreciating xhaka says it all why we are where we are. Not good enough.
Xhaka is a very good player. The problem lies in his lack of pace and inability to turn around when receiving the ball. These 2 weaknesses are what has been affecting him at arsenal, if not for these weaknesses xhaka would have been the best at that midfield
And the fact he cant tackle and statistically gives away more goals from errors by anyone in the prem, also takes away from any plus someone might come up with.
Ahahahahahahahah I love you arsenal fans!Proud to be one of you…..
kisses from sunny greece.and because you all dying to know I love both Xhaka and Arteta.
———————————–FIGHT———————————-
That’s what you get when you rely on Stats! Rather than you watch the game live! In life or live on TV.