Granit Xhaka

You’re absolutely right. If he’d signed for Bayern his flaws would be hidden…because he’d be on the bench and then farmed out on loan to Werder Bremen. :laca2: You have to build a system around Xhaka because he’s so limited. Bayern would never make those kind of midfield sacrifices for a scrub like him.

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I think this dude might be the first ever player of ours that I’ve genuinely hated. We’ve had a load of bad players but I actually loathe this cunt.

Telling the fans to fuck off never really bothered me so much at the time but in reflection to what Covid has done to the sport it’s actually irked me a little. Imaging spending all that money and effort just to get told to fuck off by this walking lamp post.

Should never have played for the club again.

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He’s definitely one of a few I’ve really disliked.

It wasn’t even him telling the fans to get fucked, it was his deliberate conflating fans in the ground with trolls online. His victim complex is outrageous.

And the thing is that people were saying for years we needed a shouter or big personality in midfield. We wound up with a guy who has a personality bigger than his ability. :facepalm:

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I don’t even care about the fans/fuck off stuff tbh at this point. I just don’t think he’s particularly good and is instrumental piece in us becoming mediocre while at the same time seemingly rated by the man in charge (all of them actually). I can’t wrap my head around this more than anything. Players not good enough eventually leave but Xhaka feels like he’s been here forever and there’s much more years of him left here.

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He’s 100% getting an extension this summer because it’s easier to re-sign him than try to sell him and have to actually look for an upgrade in the position. Coach Smooth B will be happy to use him every week. Partey’s lack of availability means we’ll probably see him retain the Number 1 midfield spot which, quite honestly, is a tragedy at a club with such a great history of midfielders.

That montage showed us he can pass with his left foot in the same direction :ok_hand:t5:

That direction being forward. Agree👌

When he passes forward lol

No comment on the radar I posted for Rodri compared to Xhaka? Look at this one, I swapped up the stats a little bit.

Xhaka:

Dani Ceballos:

Oh and looking at it Xhaka doesn’t make that many tackles either that’s flattering to him because I didn’t clear out the Rodri graph when I entered Xhaka’s info, Arsenal don’t have 61% possession so his tackles adjusted for possession is wrong so that graph would look even more shit if I’d have done it right lmaooo :joy::joy:

Xhaka’s pressures were pretty stable for the first three years at Arsenal, even if they were nothing to shout home about.

I don’t know how much the decline in pressures is down to the team, or a change to Xhaka’s role within Arteta’s Arsenal. Xhaka’s making fewer fouls than at any stage of his career too.

I’d say it’s related to how we press as a team. Xhaka’s pressures are up in the final third, but way down in the middle third. Arsenal tend to push high up the pitch and engage the opposition, but once the opposition escapes they’re own third, Arsenal retreat and maintain shape.

Arsenal aren’t winning the ball back high up the pitch. That’s how I’d explain the numbers.

Ur probably right because take a look at Ceballos his pressures are very similar to Xhaka’s except our team wins a lot more balls back when Dani pressures the ball…because it’s meaningful and he’s good at it. Xhaka sticks out like a sore thumb as far as being a minus defender. Dood can hardly move.

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Parejo is a boss as per.

Xhaka doing incredibly well too.
Some claim he is just passing it slightly forward to the full backs from our defense which is why his stats come out so good. But his passes to the final third are also pretty high here. Make it make sense.

Its a good point actually. When are these data people gonna do average pass maps. Would be interesting to see where CMs from different clubs are passing the ball over a meaningful amount of games, would show a lot in how each team plays.

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We need Locatelli @BigWeng_4LYFE ryt b0ss?

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Make one for Ceballos too while you’re at it. :xhaka2:

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Yeah just spin the bottle while your at it.

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Not only can he pass the ball forward, but he’s about as well rounded a midfielder as they come and the kid is 23 years old.

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@Gio you’re a keen eyed calcio watcher. Is Locatelli the real deal and how many replica shirts do I need to buy to personally fund the transfer?