In what was actually the start of a run of disappointing draws, Sunday 27th October 2019 brought about a real dark day at Arsenal Football Club. With half an hour left on the clock and the game locked at two a piece, then captain Granit Xhaka was hooked off by then Head Coach Unai Emery as he prepped his side for one final push for all three points.
What followed though, opened a whole can of worms that no Arsenal fan wants to be a part of ever again.
With recent fury over Xhaka's poor run of form, fans began to boo his exit, probably heightened by his slow walk off but nevertheless, things took an ugly turn. The Swiss midfielder then took to swearing and gesturing back to the angry crowd showing his frustrations with his supposed fan base. He finished it off by throwing his shirt to the ground before storming straight down the tunnel. At a high level, one could say this was a tale of an angry player and a disappointed crowd but beneath the surface, things had been boiling for a while.
After somewhat apologising and being excluded from the first team picture for a short while, Granit Xhaka was stripped of the club captaincy and started again at the bottom of the pecking order. He got his head down though, worked hard, and soon enough was back among the first team. But how did he turn it round?
To find the answer, we look beyond the how initially, and start with the why and the what. Unai Emery was the grunt of this problem, and although no fan should treat a player so badly, no player should equally disrespect their fan base either. But sadly, the Spaniard had an obsession with a deep lying midfielder pulling the strings - fine but the other part of this position, especially in a fairly weak Arsenal side, is doing the dog work. Granit Xhaka has never once displayed any real defensive dog work or any kind of responsible tackling but Emery still saw fit that he was the man for this impossible job. This not only put Granit Xhaka in a lose-lose situation, it also thrust Arsenal's best holding midfielder into an attacking spot he nor any fan wanted him to be in. How clueless does this sound when you go back to basics. For comparison, it's like serving a goldfish with chips and mushy peas...it is still a fish but nowhere near worthy of the job, it's cod all the way! Yet, Emery got away with it and seemingly shedded all responsibility by declaring 'good ebening'.
As a result, Xhaka's personal form suffered. The now dysfunctional midfield was causing havoc for the entire side, leaving Emery stranded between a rock and a hard place and his team's form going down the pan. Yes the tainted night on Sunday 27th October 2019 was a coming together of two unhappy parties but the scenes, sadly, were ugly and Emery took no responsibility. Throwing a player into a role he simply could not do exposed him to ridicule and abuse. Whether that ridicule and abuse is justified is a whole other story - but it all started here.
Fast forward to early February 2020, and with Unai Emery out of the picture, things are seemingly back on track for Granit Xhaka and Arsenal. Yes results and performances collectively should be better but since Mikel Arteta's arrival (and arguably under Ljungberg also) Granit Xhaka has been increasingly impressive but more importantly seemingly irreplaceable.
After the aforementioned short break away from the first team, the time of Xhaka's reintegration pretty much coincided with the departure of Unai Emery. Make no mistake, this is no coincidence however. The Swiss knuckled down, worked hard and let his football do the talking. Since Emery's departure, he has featured in twelve of the fourteen games and only missed the two through short term absence. He clearly impressed both Ljungberg and Arteta, and having been reinstated alongside top midfield mate Lucas Torreira in a central two pivot, it has been very good of late. Arsenal haven't been struggling to win football games due to the midfield base, it is failures in attacking midfield and upfront that have let the team down. Granit Xhaka alongside Lucas Torreira has been solid, and it is the best midfield partnership the club currently has.
Silently going about his business now, Xhaka has nailed down a starting place and of late, besides Bernd Leno and Bukayo Saka, he's arguably first name on the team sheet. He has played the full ninety in all but one of his appearances since being reintegrated into the side, and hasn't once caused any upset. There are still the silly, petulant yellow cards but often most fans will take that if all other areas are on point. And having been made a scapegoat for much of Emery's last days at the club, it is clear that with proper man management, a position and role that he can actually fulfil and the right midfield partner, he is back to his best. Xhaka will never be a global superstar scoring fifteen to twenty goals a season but what he will be is hardworking, unselfish and committed.
His willingness to play anywhere for the team is what seemingly kicked this mess off - and maybe this was because of his age and experience but look at the job he does at left back. When called upon to play left full back, and at centre back at times, he's been nothing short of determined and hard working. His effort should be commended.
But the real grace to the story is that now, with a leader in Arteta at the helm, the club has a direction that Granit Xhaka is very much a part of. Should he wish to move on in the summer so be it, the club and the player shake hands and walk away but wherever his long term future lies, in the here and now Granit Xhaka has returned and is the embodiment of Arsenal Football Club; determined, committed and playing for a cause much bigger than himself.
@craigbennett10
What followed though, opened a whole can of worms that no Arsenal fan wants to be a part of ever again.
With recent fury over Xhaka's poor run of form, fans began to boo his exit, probably heightened by his slow walk off but nevertheless, things took an ugly turn. The Swiss midfielder then took to swearing and gesturing back to the angry crowd showing his frustrations with his supposed fan base. He finished it off by throwing his shirt to the ground before storming straight down the tunnel. At a high level, one could say this was a tale of an angry player and a disappointed crowd but beneath the surface, things had been boiling for a while.
After somewhat apologising and being excluded from the first team picture for a short while, Granit Xhaka was stripped of the club captaincy and started again at the bottom of the pecking order. He got his head down though, worked hard, and soon enough was back among the first team. But how did he turn it round?
To find the answer, we look beyond the how initially, and start with the why and the what. Unai Emery was the grunt of this problem, and although no fan should treat a player so badly, no player should equally disrespect their fan base either. But sadly, the Spaniard had an obsession with a deep lying midfielder pulling the strings - fine but the other part of this position, especially in a fairly weak Arsenal side, is doing the dog work. Granit Xhaka has never once displayed any real defensive dog work or any kind of responsible tackling but Emery still saw fit that he was the man for this impossible job. This not only put Granit Xhaka in a lose-lose situation, it also thrust Arsenal's best holding midfielder into an attacking spot he nor any fan wanted him to be in. How clueless does this sound when you go back to basics. For comparison, it's like serving a goldfish with chips and mushy peas...it is still a fish but nowhere near worthy of the job, it's cod all the way! Yet, Emery got away with it and seemingly shedded all responsibility by declaring 'good ebening'.
As a result, Xhaka's personal form suffered. The now dysfunctional midfield was causing havoc for the entire side, leaving Emery stranded between a rock and a hard place and his team's form going down the pan. Yes the tainted night on Sunday 27th October 2019 was a coming together of two unhappy parties but the scenes, sadly, were ugly and Emery took no responsibility. Throwing a player into a role he simply could not do exposed him to ridicule and abuse. Whether that ridicule and abuse is justified is a whole other story - but it all started here.
Fast forward to early February 2020, and with Unai Emery out of the picture, things are seemingly back on track for Granit Xhaka and Arsenal. Yes results and performances collectively should be better but since Mikel Arteta's arrival (and arguably under Ljungberg also) Granit Xhaka has been increasingly impressive but more importantly seemingly irreplaceable.
After the aforementioned short break away from the first team, the time of Xhaka's reintegration pretty much coincided with the departure of Unai Emery. Make no mistake, this is no coincidence however. The Swiss knuckled down, worked hard and let his football do the talking. Since Emery's departure, he has featured in twelve of the fourteen games and only missed the two through short term absence. He clearly impressed both Ljungberg and Arteta, and having been reinstated alongside top midfield mate Lucas Torreira in a central two pivot, it has been very good of late. Arsenal haven't been struggling to win football games due to the midfield base, it is failures in attacking midfield and upfront that have let the team down. Granit Xhaka alongside Lucas Torreira has been solid, and it is the best midfield partnership the club currently has.
Silently going about his business now, Xhaka has nailed down a starting place and of late, besides Bernd Leno and Bukayo Saka, he's arguably first name on the team sheet. He has played the full ninety in all but one of his appearances since being reintegrated into the side, and hasn't once caused any upset. There are still the silly, petulant yellow cards but often most fans will take that if all other areas are on point. And having been made a scapegoat for much of Emery's last days at the club, it is clear that with proper man management, a position and role that he can actually fulfil and the right midfield partner, he is back to his best. Xhaka will never be a global superstar scoring fifteen to twenty goals a season but what he will be is hardworking, unselfish and committed.
His willingness to play anywhere for the team is what seemingly kicked this mess off - and maybe this was because of his age and experience but look at the job he does at left back. When called upon to play left full back, and at centre back at times, he's been nothing short of determined and hard working. His effort should be commended.
But the real grace to the story is that now, with a leader in Arteta at the helm, the club has a direction that Granit Xhaka is very much a part of. Should he wish to move on in the summer so be it, the club and the player shake hands and walk away but wherever his long term future lies, in the here and now Granit Xhaka has returned and is the embodiment of Arsenal Football Club; determined, committed and playing for a cause much bigger than himself.
@craigbennett10
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