Arsenal: Granit Xhaka The Midfield Version Of Per Mertesacker?
Arsenal’s new stalwart midfielder has highlighted what he feels is one of his weaknesses, if you can call it that, but can he compensate as another Gunner did?
Granit Xhaka has been hitting the airwaves with numerous interviews recently, and if anything stands out about the new Arsenal man, it’s that he is literally saying everything right. He is praising Wenger, telling us exactly what he brings to the team, which conveniently is exactly what this team needed, and just being a generally positive voice.
However, he has also come to admit one of his ‘flaws’, although he does not see it as a flaw at all.
“What does slow mean? Yes, I know I’m not the fastest with my legs. But I also believe that I’ve been pretty fast with my head,” he said via the Evening Standard. He went on: “Anyway, I never thought: ‘Uiuiui, now [the game] comes to me but a little too fast’.”
While I’m not entirely sure what the ‘Uiuiui’ was, I will say that yet again, Xhaka has said the perfect thing. So much so that he reminds me a bit of another Arsenal leader who was unfortunate not to come to North London sooner: Per Mertesacker.
We have to forget the Mertesacker that we have seen lately, where his pace is truly letting him down and he can’t stay healthy. Before that, the big German’s usefulness cannot be downplayed. Mertesacker was one of the more intelligent defenders we have ever seen and, like Xhaka, we didn’t really notice his lack of pace because he was so astute in reading the game.
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Xhaka’s lack of pace was a bit exposed against Liverpool, but the situation he was thrown into wasn’t exactly conducive to a debut. Since that time, in the two games that have followed, we have seen a midfielder who is in control, rarely out of place and never in a position where he is relying on his pace to help him make up for a mistake.
So, we essentially have a midfield Per Mertesacker.
Yet it’s the leadership has to be the biggest similarity. Even this early into his Arsenal career, Xhaka can always be found barking orders to his team mates, telling them where he will be going, what his plans are, and how they should be reacting.
So… a midfield Per Mertesacker.
It’s also just a matter of time before Xhaka takes that armband that was once (is now) Mertesacker’s. It’s impossible for him not to. Even through two games we have seen exactly what we wanted: superb intelligence, outstanding leadership and a no-nonsense attitude. How long have those things been missing?
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