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Well, nothing has me off to a flyer in the morning quite like a riveting read on the pros and cons of Xhaka courtesy of the folk over at Sky Sports. This article gets to the core of why he’s a marmite player, but in an interesting way that uses numbers with right level of context.
The long and short is this… he’s one of the most effective players in the league moving the ball into the final 3rd, but he’s also statistically one of the slowest players in the team.
One of the biggest criticisms levelled against him is that he lacks speed and mobility, and it is backed up by the numbers. According to Arsenal’s Premier League tracking data this season, he has averaged fewer high-intensity sprints per 90 minutes (4.4) than any other outfield player.
It is not an indictment of his work-rate – Xhaka actually ranks highly for distance covered – rather an indication that he struggles to reach the 25.2km/h threshold for what is now defined as a sprint. Xhaka has stamina but he is not naturally fast. By way of comparison, the tigerish Torreira has averaged 7.1 sprints per 90 minutes in his fleeting appearances so far.
It’s interesting that he’s being compared to Torreira, who hasn’t played a full 90minutes for Arsenal as of yet. For me, the lack of mobility in a central position is an absolutely huge problem in the Premier League. It was a problem when he was playing under Wenger and we went from a Champions League team to a Europa one. It will be a problem under Emery, because he’s a manager that insists on high intensity. Not just that, it’s a problem for a league that prides itself on power and pace. You can get under the skin of Xhaka and he can be bullied.
The attacking numbers are obviously promising, he’s in esteemed company for sequences that lead to a shot, and he’s smashing the competition for the amount of balls into the final third… but this kind of reminds me a little bit of the Ozil challenge. Football is not like NFL. It’s difficult to survive this league being a specialist if there are gross weaknesses elsewhere in your game. If all you can offer up is passes into the final third, you are a weakness that will need someone else to pick up the pieces. When you have a squad as imbalances as ours, that starts to become a problem.
We need someone to do the defensive duties of Mesut, who won’t track
We need someone to pick up the legs of Xhaka who can be overrun
We need someone who can hold up the ball to play next to Auba
We need someone with pace to sit next to Laca
The list goes on. Arsenal can’t afford to be a team that needs players doing other things for players who are grossly under-equipped to do the basics. So that means the manager has to start making sacrifices.
For me, with a defence like ours, solidity in the midfield is an absolute must. Guendouzi and LT would make for a very interesting pairing, and if it isn’t those two, then I’d have Aaron Ramsey playing next to Torriera. The Welshman has a good range of passing, and he also boasts the ability to break the lines with quick bursts of pace. That’s another thing you have to remember, just because Xhaka can play long range balls into space, doesn’t mean it’s the most effective way for Arsenal to attack.
This specialism that Xhaka possesses has taken us from 4th to 6th and 5th. On the face of it, having the best pre-assist king in the league doesn’t seem to be doing us many favours.
You could counter that and say that’s someone else’s fault, but the people doing that have been telling us that Ozil is the most deadly creator that ever lived. Then you could blame our attackers, but we have Auba and Lacazette who are two of the most deadly finishers in Europe.
It could also be argued that if one player is doing such an incredible number on stats, it’s because too much of the play is being threaded through them, which yet again shows an imbalance of the squad. When you have so much of the play rolling through one name, it makes you very easy to plan against. Just take out Xhaka, and you stem the flow of play into the final third. Again, not a great look.
It’s also interesting that this statistic of playing the most balls into the final third has dropped out of nowhere and we’re all assuming it’s the thing, some saying it’s so important it’s fine if it costs you goals. There are plenty of types of centre midfielders you can have who can do an effective job. Look at Keita at Liverpool, power, speed, tackling, passing, shooting, he’s Roy of the Rovers. Look at Santi before Xhaka, short passes galore and a connective tissue type role, he made the pitch smaller and could cover ground despite his small frame. Look at Paul Pogba and what he tries to do for United. All of those names are more well rounded than Xhaka who has one string to his bow and that’s pre-assisting, which is helpful, but I find it perplexing anyone can look at that one skill and say it’s strong enough not to worry about pace, tackling and all-round mobility.
Anyway, you see what I mean. We need to start making sacrifices, and in my view, it should be making sacrifices so we can be more solid through the middle. Build from the back, then work out how to be more efficient moving forward.
Let me know what YOU think in the comments.
1st
Bankz is here for the Tr4phy again
BOOOOOM
Tr4phy
Tr4phy
Nice one groovedaddy
Not today Bankz 🙂
4
Cheers!
“Pre assist king”
For…fuck…sake.
Are there people out there doing this shit?
Can I put this up right now as the only metrics that matter.
1. Forwards. Goals.
2. Midfielders. Assists. Blocks. Tackles. Passes completed.
3. Defender. Goals against.
4. GK. As above.
I’m actually getting embarrassed by people finding a reason to like these underperforming clowns. Ozil is shit. Xhaka is shit. Ramsay is shit. Bellerin is shit…and a lesbian.
I could go on.
Pre assists? Sounds like a metric for jobsworths.
Any news on Lucus Torreira’s injury? How bad is it?
Leeds
Torreira is an Arsenal player…he’s done for the season. Another club…3 weeks.
At least Xhaka doesn’t come out with undiluted tripe every now and then
I mean Bellerin is the worst, you know you’re likely going to be at the receiving end of some denigrating slurs when along with having a disgusting persona you’re also appalling in what you get handsomely paid for
Glad many can now see through this fraudster, it’s a damning indictment of how shit you’re when the calls are deafening for a 34yo to replace you
Emery’s stick or swim method regarding some select few in his first 11 we likely culminate in his downfall.
Victorious
You’re right again. Jeez…since Wenger has gone, I’ve agreed with you at least three times.
Debuchy was twice the player when he first arrived but no thanks to persisting injuries and it’s a case of what might have been
Wouldn’t be the least surprised if Bellerin gets jeered by the fans in no sooner time, coming out to have a dig at the fan base will get you nowhere
Lmao guns.. stranger things have happened I guess
Vic I guess so. The truth is, today’s sports persons are all just a bit, wet. It’s everyone else’s fault. I get that Bellerin is trying to shift the blame from his shitness to Wenger…an easy target. But what I don’t understand is that a man, a 24 year old professional, can’t manage himself and improve himself without someone holding his hand. This is the issue. No one seems to want to stand up and take responsibility for themselves. I’m embarrassed for Bellerin. Embarrassed for Arsenal. As you said, Emery is putting out too many fires for him to survive.… Read more »
Why does Bellerin think it’s okay to dress out in pajamas bottoms and not get laughed at?
We’ve been here before back in the early days of Le Grove with Hleb – the OG of assist to the assister when people point out his lack of assists in his stats. At least he was been played on the flanks not in the midfield centre which is more crucial for the build up. I was hoping that Xhaka would improve at least a bit under Emery but I don’t see anything new from him at all so I guess we should try the midfield pivot of Ramsey/Guendozi and Torreira and see how it goes from there. Maybe in… Read more »
Guns I get that Bellerin is trying to shift the blame from his shitness to Wenger…an easy target. ” Completely with you. mustafi did the exact same thing a couple of weeks back and we got posters having their panties in a Twist on why a 26yo CB should be thought the basics of defending by a manager ..I mean not a 18 y.o rookie but a fvckin 26yo German international A bit ridiculous isn’t it for supposed professionals who takes home heavy packs weekly And now we have this dumbshit Bellerin wit an exact leaf from that shameless textbook… Read more »
Alone: Agreed Xhaka hasn’t improved since Emery has arrived, but not sure anyone else in the team has improved….Not even the defense collectively.
We could debate Xhaka till the cows come home and then some but for what he actually does add to the team and for the many things he doesn’t we could do with better and he doesn’t warrant keeping.
Latest stats highlight Mustafi as our PRE-PRE Assist King.
Vic Agreed. There are two types of talent. 1. Natural. 2. Trained. 3. Genetic. Now 1. is Maradona, Best, Pele, Cruyff. Alex Higgins. 2. Is The fake Ronaldo, Bergkamp etc. 3. Isn’t really football and more for the endurance and fast athletic events like running and cycling. By all accounts, Ronaldo is a ridiculous trainer and practicer. So was Bergkamp. Neither would be classed as natural. They worked on it. Best etc just played. Pure natural ability. Someone like Bolt has genetic advantages over his competitors but wouldn’t be as good if he didn’t train…like on technique and starting. Some… Read more »
Also pre assists? Come on its some bullshit someone tries to push to show that someone else isn’t total gash. For example if all Alexander Hleb had was some bullshit pre assists he’d have been rubbish but the fact that his ball retention and dribbling was so brilliant made him much more than someone who was involved in the build up.
“Mesut Ozil has been linked with a shock move to Fenerbahce as the Turkish giants look at his future.”
MAKE – THAT – HAPPEN!! – (FFS!!) – (PLEASE GOD!!)
Tones have changed. Interesting how change can make certain posters realise the shit we were in for years.
TIME indeed changes.
Certain players will never improve because they just can adapt their game.
If Emery persists with certain players and become stubborn and results don’t improve, well, he may as well di g his own grave.
Metro Sports with a story how it was Santi Cazorla who gave Unai Emery all the inside information as to what were the deficiencies at Arsenal and listed all the things he must address to challenge.
1- speaks how Emery can pick brains
2- as in the fairy tales the evil stepmother first of all does away with the real princess.
3- not that was bad , but Santi seems to be doing well now at Sampadoria
Your Comment Anywhere.
Xhaka’s obvious weakness of being slow is made significantly worse by the team’s style of play. The slow, laboured cross-field passing reduces the game to walking pace. Xhaka is often involved in much of this tediuous cross-field passing. His only strength is the long pass, which to be fair he plays well. But by the time he is ready to make the pass, the team has prodded the ball backwards and forwards about 20 times and the opposition is getting bored waiting for the ball to arrive in the area. Xhaka is not a Premier League quality player in my… Read more »
GoH
Yes, it’s ludicrous trying to justify Xhaka. Ozil. Why don’t people accept what their eyes see?
What they are seeking, I suppose, is a reason why Wenger wasted such a lot of money for them.
“Xhaka is not a Premier League quality player in my opinion.”
He’s not a quality player, period.
Your Comment Her
At least Xhaka doesn’t come out with undiluted tripe every now and then I mean Bellerin is the worst, you know you’re likely going to be at the receiving end of some denigrating slurs when along with having a disgusting persona you’re also appalling in what you get handsomely paid for Glad many can now see through this fraudster, it’s a damning indictment of how shit you’re when the calls are deafening for a 34yo to replace youEmery’s stick or swim method regarding some select few in his first 11 we likely culminate in his downfall. Funny how when wenger… Read more »
You can dress up Xhaka with all the stats you want but just watch the guy play and it’s painfully obvious to see how shit he is
And has been since day 1.
I don’t know what some
Of you expect from Emery in 4 matches into his reign?
He has a team that hasn’t been managed tactics. Trained properly. Drilled. Had any disciple instilled in them and have the menatality of the loser manager they had before.
Emery is a good manager but he isn’t god
It will take time.
Let’s see where we are in Jan.
Get behind the team and manager for fuck sales
So who’s the pre- pre assist king ? Or the pre pre pre assist king ? (Or queen) I demand to know damn it !
Probably Ozil.
Joe
“I don’t know what some
Of you expect from Emery in 4 matches into his reign?”
Improvement?
Can we afford to carry the pre assist master?
Well Since we’re already carrying the assist master why not the pre assist master as well.
I said the other day, we may as well start with ten men than play xhaka, at least without him on the pitch he can’t give the opposition a goal scoring opportunity.
My worry would be that Thor comes back but with a small niggle and emery has the excuse to continue with xhaka.
Alone: We’ve been here before back in the early days of Le Grove with Hleb – the OG of assist to the assister when people point out his lack of assists in his stats. The difference between Hleb and Xhaka is that you don’t need the stats to see that Hleb worked in THAT Arsenal team. Same way you don’t need stats to see Iniesta is a great player even when his assist and goals stats don’t compare favorably with guys like Scholes and Lampard. On the other hand, you need stats to convince yourself that Xhaka has any redeeming… Read more »
I don’t know what some
Of you expect from Emery in 4 matches into his reign?”Improvement?
Pierre do you think with Wenger in charge those four games would have got us any more points?
Wenger not being in charge is an improvement already.
Like Joe said give emery time.
He’s had 4 games not 4 months or 4 years!
Hleb was a treasure. He always forced the opponents to have two players marking him, due to this dribbling and pace.
I think Xhaka is a fantastic player vs. the three worst teams in the league, but when we are playing any sort of capable side, Xhaka always seems like the odd one out, not really capable enough at any of the attributes I’d like to attest a central Arsenal midfielder.
Alex Cutter
For the most part, yes.
However, if I were to write a book on my own experiences living and working in the Middle East, it would be called “How to define Hypocrisy”
It would probably be as controversial as Rushdie’s.
Continuation from previous post.
Why are some fans angered by players (like Bellerin) coming out and showing disrespect towards Wenger?
For years they were programmed to agree with his methods.
As one poster highlighted, Wenger was getting £8 a year. Let them criticize him, he doesn’t give a shite anyway.
lol Pierre.. your Lord Sidious won’t be back, even if Emery doesn’t improve.
£8m!!!
Michael I wish Wenger was paid £8 a year mate.
Up 4 grabs now
Lol!
As for the Serena Williams meltdown, certain rules need to be changed.
1. Players are allowed to have a coach courtside.
2. Male umpires for the men, Female umpires for the ladies.
3. Ladies can change their tops during a match.
4. Breastfeeding allowed on court.
5. No time outs/ toilet breaks(Portaloo courtside).
6. Men to be given more prize money in Grandslams (More time, more effort, more sets………Of course it’s bloody fair). On top of that, more interesting.
If I have offended anyone, I apologise.
Another thing, the Williams clan have to understand that suffering takes place in families all over the world.
Don’t promote your sufferings to gain sympathy votes. It becomes boring and predictable.
Great player but just a wee bit ott for my liking.
Final point.
Roy Keane.
Discuss.
Pierre
Funny you didn’t mind
Wenger not improving us over the last dozen plus years but your pitchfork is out for Emery after 4 matches and having to deal with players wenger has completely destroyed or bought that weren’t good enough.
No agenda though for you though.
Pierre
You were prepared to sit back and accept a decline in our fortunes for a decade and yet you expect “improvement” after just 4 games.
Amazing!
Even Jesus would need more than 4 matches to turn this water into wine
Seeing Joe come out with
‘support the manager/team’ line is kinda hypocritical in nature, considering he hasn’t for once ever done that it then becomes hard to take anything he says serious,I think he’s a wierdo.
Michael I wish Wenger was paid £8 a year mate.
It’s really what he deserved. Not the 10m he received
Pierre
Why say things that will open a can of worms?
Is this your tactics?
Up4grabs “Pierre do you think with Wenger in charge those four games would have got us any more points?” But wenger is not in charge ,Emery is. He has been at the club about 3 months now and if we’re honest ,have we seen any improvement in any part of our game. Do we look better defensively.. Do we look more solid in midfield… Does.our attacking play look more potent . If you ask me., from what I have seen so far ,I have my doubts about Emery and will.continue to doubt him until I see something to be positive… Read more »
“Even Jesus would need more than 4 matches to turn this water into wine”
He’d be very cross !
Seeing Joe come out with ‘support the manager/team’ line is kinda hypocritical in nature, considering he hasn’t for once ever done that I didn’t realize arsenal only exsisted the last dozen years I guess it did for fans like you Victorious who didn’t even what an Arsenal was until the invincibles. Some of us have been following arsenal a long time before the le fraud came along. And why would I get behind a loser that was making us go backwards for a dozen years. I want the best for arsenal. And wenger was not it. For a very long… Read more »
victorious
Anyone that has opinions contrary to your own, you consider a “weirdo”.
Why is that?
victorious
We all know you only started supporting AFC when/after Wenger took over.
True?
Pierre
Do you have a coaching badge?
Any sport?
Just asking.
Pierre is right, nobody is bringing out the pitchfork but that we see some measure of improvement as the games comes thick and fast. Not a hard logic it’s concerning we seem getting worse in every match played thus far .. Our defence is making Christmas come early for opposition strikers Our 36 year old keeper is been asked to be a Pirlo with the ball at his feet and also play as a sweeper keeper ,something he hasn’t done for once in his career Defense distinctly worse off from last season Questionable team selections in every game It’s perfectly… Read more »
Michael
Give me some positives that you have seen in the last 3 months regarding tactics,formation and personnel….
Roy Keane was a great footballer and great leader, of that there is no doubt.
Leaving his teammates in the lurch during the 2002 WC and blaming others for his own shortcomings, is a despicable action.
Is he in need of help?
Too right he is.
Any volunteers to go and tell him?
Joe…..positives?
Joe/Micheal24 Two peas in a pod Quite amusing to see you both swing in the dark in a forlorn hope of me divulging to you when I started supporting the club The thing is it doesn’t make a bleeping difference whether you’re a day old fan or supporting the club for 50years Doesn’t make your opinions anymore credible or superior Every fan has a fvcking right to offer his opinion on directions the clubs seems to be taking whether good or bad You lot swinging your dicks in a condescending manner of been ‘super fans’ makes you come across insecure… Read more »
Pierre is right, nobody is bringing out the pitchfork but that we see some measure of improvement as the games comes thick and fast. We hadn’t seen a lick of improvement in the previous two seasons from Wenger and yet I never saw yourself and Pierre so vocal with your criticism. Why is that? It’s going to take a lot longer than 6 weeks of preseason and 4 league games before you see any sort of tangible improvement. In fact I personally believe that you will only see improvement once players like Xhaka Bellerin Mustafi Ozil and Ramsey are replaced.… Read more »
What I am finding difficult to understand is lichsteiner came on against city and looked the part ,torriera has came on as sub in games and looks the part,Lacazette came on as sub in games and looks the part…..yet they don’t start
positives of emery he took away the “blind crosses” that Wenger used to coach. Now if you watch closely, bellerin or Mhiki go to the byline and then try a cut back to the penalty spot.If a defender intercepts, it’s a corner, if not, an attacker (doesn’t neccessaryly have to be the striker ) has a free shot at goal. Other positives include, using substitutions wisely. would Wenger have subbed ozil before the 85th min ? Emery has also very clearly insisted on a high press which is still a work in process but under wenger, we would see sanchez… Read more »
The improvement is minimalistic but evident.
Changing both the DNA of the players and the methods created by our previous manager, is very very difficult.
Trying to play out from the back, trying to track back, trying to press and cover, are all visible.
The fact that they are TRYING, is good enough for me.
One other other thing, body language. The players are showing a far more positive mindset.
Then again, being a professional analyst, you see all these things.
What do they say?
Practice makes perfect.
So I don’t know why people are blindly saying there has been no positives from the last 4 games. It’s like they saw the scoreline at the end and just went. ah ha we conceded 2 against west ham and cardiff. there is no improvement. Or maybe they still haven’t unlocked their lips from wengers C**k to see anything.
but then again the same people will gloss over what I Said and come back tomorrow barking “there has been no change”.
Marko
Do you think that Emery is addressing the obvious problems in the Arsenal team that have been apparent under Wenger for a number of years…
Namely..defence and defensive midfield…..and if not then why not .
Pierre I do agree that we need to sort out the DM position and fast. We bought in torreira which seems like a good signing. Maybe he’s still lacking communication, or emery feels gwen and lucas will be too defensive or whatever the reason, he seems to persist with xhaka at the moment. But I’m sure by the end of the season, if emery feels he can’t improve xhaka, he’ll get a replacement for him. But we have to keep in mind, emery is on a tight budget and we (not necessarily emery) want to get a lot of players… Read more »
Do you think that Emery is addressing the obvious problems in the Arsenal team that have been apparent under Wenger for a number of years…Namely..defence and defensive midfield…..and if not then why not . Do I think that he’s addressing it? Yes because he’s bought two midfielders that can put in a shift in midfield as well as a CB and a keeper. But these things take time and in all honesty to fix many of the problems especially in defence it’ll take time and money. I’d say at least three transfer windows and he’s only had one. Arsene Wenger… Read more »
Xhaka is like Ozil- slow, bad at defense, slow, good passer, cannot score consistently, and is a liablity to the team.
For me its Guen and Torr all the way.
These young men bring spirit, and much better mobility and technicality than Granite legs.
This is the future. We need a winger with pace and scoring to balance the side
Gonsterous
If you think that Emery should receive the credit for Mhkitaryan ‘s pull backs then maybe you should look at his assists for arsenal last season …it has always been a strong part of Mhkitaryan ‘s play and bellerinin is sure to be learning from him.
Early substitutions…..wow …Is that it
Pressing is not a positive
Playing out from the back is a shambles
The slowness of Granite makes him a liablity at every lunge or tackle he tries.
He is a red card in the making in every game.
He sucks.
Pierre
it has always been a strong part of Mhkitaryan ‘s play and bellerinin is sure to be learning from him.
oh yup, no need for coaches, Wenger taught bellerin how to get pacy and mhiki taught him how to assist. Got it ? emery out. yes please…
Michael 24
“The improvement is minimalistic but evident.”
It’s so “minimalistic” that you can’t see it with the naked eye.
Well at least the players are “trying” ……that’s important isn’t it as I don’t suppose they could be accused of that previously.
Early substitutions…..wow …Is that it
I’m guessing you don’t know that substitutions are a part of tactics. that’s a nice surprise for you, isn’t it ? why do I bother talking to people who have no idea what substitutions do…
Pressing is not a positive
Playing out from the back is a shambles
yup definitely gloss over the part where we said, these things takes time. And how is pressing not a positive ? All the best teams in the world press. Jesus, do you watch football or do you just look up scorelines at the end of the weekend ??
Certainly an improvement on the offensive side of things still very much wasteful but an improvement nonetheless
Marko In fact I personally believe that you will only see improvement once players like Xhaka Bellerin Mustafi Ozil and Ramsey are replaced. ” So you only expect improvement if and when those players are replaced in the first team but surely you also know the club is not cut out to splash the cash out of trouble And I Dunno but I thought Emery was supposed to be this massive improvement on Wenger who will extract more from the squad available hence why his appointment was a no brainer? so in essence you agree there hasn’t been any improvement… Read more »
Changing the culture at Arsenal is no quick fix.
Overcoming over 20 years of Wengerism cannot be solved in a day..
Fans should back off and acknowledge the role they played in Arsenal’s demise.
so in essence you agree there hasn’t been any improvement or positives so far.. but more he should be given ‘time’ and like what 3 windows ? to sort it out regardless of how worse performances by current team might be. There not really worse though Vic. We lost 2-0 to City the previous two times we lost 3-0 to them under Wenger. Lost 3-2 to Chelsea and I can’t remember the last time we scored 2 (should have been more) at Stamford bridge. Sure we were unconvincing against Cardiff but did you see our away form last season under… Read more »
They’re not
We won an away match that we would have lost with wenger in charge.
Positive.
Taking off players that aren’t performing
Positive
Starting laca and aubu together
Positive
Not playing Ramsey every match.
Positive
victorious
Er………yes my friend, in a way, it sort of does.
@Pierre being the exception on here. Admirably though, he openly promotes his lengthy attachment to the club. Irrespective of our differing Wenger perceptions, I respect him for being honest and open about his Arsenal connection.
Anyway, who’s saying anything about being “superior” or more “credible”?
It seems you are embarrassed about promoting the length of your Arsenal affiliation.
Won’t hold it against you.
Honest.
Pierre
You really haven’t worked in a team environment have you?
It was reported Emery managed to convince the Arsenal’s management of his capability in been the right man for the job by revealing a detailed dossier on ALL players and how best to utilize them according to his philosophy No evidence of that thus far I mean my 2 year old daughter is abrest of the fact Cech will shit his pants when asked to play from the back You don’t also play a high line when your CBs are slow as fvck Begs the question what players did Emery claimed to have really watched to form his opinions Don’t… Read more »
Redtruth
Correct.
Vic And yes it does matter that I’ve been a fan for a sling as I have because you said I’ve never supported the team or manager. Just because you’ve only been an arsenal fan for a cup of tea and worship yeh ground wenger pisses on doesn’t mean the rest of do. I supported the manager and team while GG and Howe were managers While even wanker was manager when I went to live matches. So don’t come on here spouting your bullshit about supporting the club. Wenger is not the club. No matter how much you want to… Read more »
Marko
“Certainly an improvement on the offensive side of things still very much wasteful but an improvement nonetheless”
we scored 113 goals last season.so obviously we must have been pretty defensively ent offensively.
It’s at the opposite end of the pitch we need to see improvement.
*decent
victorious
You should enrole your two year old daughter with mensa.
A genius in the making.
Congratulations.
You’re right Micheal
It doesn’t matter until you come on here spouting “ you’ve never got behind the manager or team” because in Vic’s eyes arsenal have only exsisted for a decade
Then it does matter