Mohamed Elneny (25)

Would like to go back and analyse his best times at ‘gladbach to try and establish why he was so good in that team and why he can’t reproduce here or isn’t being allowed to etc

You only label Xhaka’s shittiness down to Wenger, when the player is doing the basics right but is unable to make an impact on a whole.
But Xhaka is making plenty of individual mistakes, misplaced passes, poor touches on top of his unathletic slow style of play. He never had close control to boost about. His qualities are simply long range shots & few attractive hollywood passes.

He is just limited.

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Does make you wonder why the hell we signed him really

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Should always be first choice from now. He knows his limits so he always keeps it tidy.

We bought Xhaka because it was suggested that he would bring some “much needed grit” to our team and he was pretty good at Gladbach, but we’re not using him in the same way they did.

Don’t forget, he was appointed captain when he was 22! That doesn’t happen if you’re shit. He fitted into the Gladbach team in a better way than he does here - and they were more capable of showing off his strengths while covering up his flaws - most of the time anyway. He was still guilty of a mistake from time to time.

He also played alongside Dahoud who complemented him.

It can’t hurt to give Elneny a go now though. But I think Wenger will stick with Xhaka for the foreseeable.

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Gladbach were a lower league team who weren’t expected to play expansive football and if he did make mistakes they were less noticable because it’s expected at a lower league team.

He was also bought for his range of passing. If he was bought for his ‘grit’ it’s apparent that he’s way too slow and stupid to make it count.

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Not only that, in general he played alongside 3 or 4 midfielders in a 4-4-(1-1/2) or 4-5-1.

How did Xhaka actually play MGB? What was their and his style/role?

He was something like a deep lying playmaker, pinging long balls at players in a stacked midfield that worked in numbers, more. I remember hearing Wenger say Xhaka was rather going to be used as a b2b for us, I’m thinking similar to what Ramsey does. He also teamed with Kramer then who was playing well.

I think his role in a 2-man midfield here is to do a bit whatever he wants when we play vs. teams that just park the bus, be a +1 on second wave attacks like Ramsey is, and just chill mid. Then vs. teams that contest our midfield game he sits back more and plays more disciplined. But his short quick and accurate passing game has just not worked out, it has little to do with tactics I think. Possibly the pace of the game is too high here I don’t know. I hope he gets his act together. I also think he’d look better in a 3+ man mf.

The way he just waltzes around with the ball against a bottom side with no pressure, in midfield, and just makes a crap pass that lands 10 yards behind a bro that is not pressed either… I mean it isn’t tactics. I don’t know lol

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MoM today imo. Superb defending and overall movement.

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Really like him. Always keep it simple. Well-done Momo!

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Proper midfielder!!

Great tonight and has to stay in the team

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Was excellent as a passer & did a fine job defensively as well.

Some of his lofted balls should have been converted to goals if not for offsides.

Very good job.

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Give him a OA face :wink:

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Stop giving me work to do all the time Cal, jeez :smile:

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Great performance,he keeps things simple, his defensive awareness is on point too.

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I like the way he always makes himself available immediately after he passes the ball. You just can’t underestimate how important that kind of movement is in a possession based team.

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I thought he good but not great in the first half. But in the second half after he dropped deeper, into defence, he was great. Have to give Wenger a bit of credit for that.

Coquelin with a brain.

And ability.

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