Xhaka is Arteta’s Man But Can He Grab Games By The Throat

By Merlion
August 11 2021

Will Xhaka deliver this season for Arteta? After all Mikel Arteta was a relieved man when the deal with Roma for Xhaka fell through and he quickly offered a contract extension to the keystone of his rebuilt Arsenal FC which will need another two more years to complete the rebuilding process.

Like how Jordan Henderson is to Klopp’s Liverpool FC, Xhaka will play the similar leadership role to lead and drive Arsenal FC to success with his control and command in the middle. Some fans declared Xhaka as a limited player like Jordan Henderson; but Xhaka epitomizes as one who makes the most of what he’s got, maximizes his ability into everything he believes to be a successful footballer.

To examine this view let’s divide the game into “three thirds”.

In the defensive third, keep the ball.

Isn’t something being not right with the Defence with Xhaka as the “last man” sweeping in the box?

Ben White solves the current defensive vulnerability of Xhaka functioning as the “sweeper” in a disorganized Back-4. The primary attributes of Ben White are his organizational ability, superb reading of the game and his tactical awareness to provide a solid defensive shield behind Xhaka and the Midfield-Trio. Ben White is the “Last Man” to defence against any opponents that bypasses Xhaka (provided he doesn’t drag him down, bodycheck and ankle tapping, hopefully he can get away with it). Ben White will solve all those unnecessary yellow cards accumulated by Xhaka to prevent opponents running clear through a missing Back-4 with him as the “last man”.

Xhaka is a disciplined player and will carry out the instructions from Mikel Arteta to play in a rigid structure in the Defensive Third, to defend deep with the Defensive Unit continually in disarray, and it is still coming to grip with Arteta’s tactics.

Ben White takes over the sweeping duty inside the box without Xhaka being a liability, giving away unnecessary penalties with his panicky tackling and bodychecking.

Problem solved (We hope. Ed)

In the middle third, use your judgement as to whether to keep the ball, pass or do something different.

There is no one in the current team who has such a huge influence as Xhaka in dictating the tempo of a game, the vision to spray accurate passes down the flanks, and the physicality.

And why should Arteta be “wasting” £70million to buy Maddison or Odegaard or another “no. 10” which may or may not work out; and hinder the development of ESR, Saka, Azeez, Patino, et al, those youths that will break into senior team within 2 years, or be loaned out or sold?

Ben White is the last piece of Arteta’s rebuilding and desire to play 4-3-3.

Ben White frees up Xhaka to play higher up the pitch as the “No. 10”, with Tomas Partey covering up Xhaka as “Double Pivot”, in support of each other movement up and down the pitch and to provide a defensive shield in front of Back-4. The success of 4-3-3 hinges on the communication developed into like those of Vieira-Petit Double Pivot.

And when Ben White moves into midfield, he too has the ability to spray passes as accurate as Xhaka.

Aubameyang is criminally under-utilized and last season, may have received less than 5 through balls and oneor two goal-scoring chances into the box per game.

In the final third, just play what you see

With Xhaka dominating the middle and spraying the passes, then the Forward-3 is just one pass away to create a goal-scoring chance.

Gegenpressing is also the ability to press opponent the instant the ball is lost in their third, recover the ball and instantly created a goal-scoring chance. And we need the likes of ESR, Pepe, Saka and Aubameyang to press the goalie and defenders instantly to attempt to win back the ball, and has the tactical awareness in a well-drilled unit to know instantly where their team-mates are expected to be, and quickly slip a through-ball or pass-and-move in a one-two to bypass defenders; and quick ball to the flank with charging player cutting into the box.

We had seen too many times our attacks broke down simply by passing backwards and to the flanks due to the players being slow of thought and most likely being drilled too much into a fixed pattern of plays such that there are just robots on the pitch with a fixed selection of menu of plays only.

We need more spontaneity, more peripheral vision and Mikel Arteta must be mindful that a player see thing quicker than the coach on the pitch and he must not inhibit a talented player into a rigid structure but allows their talent to flourish.

You know why Arsenal Football is so stale, so sterile with no breathe-taking one-pass one-touch football with a shot at goal after five passes?

Just look at Mikel Arteta gesticulating on the pitch continuously throughout the game, moving players rigidly on the pitch like on a chessboard.

If only Mikel Arteta trusted his players to “just play what they see on the pitch real-time at the final third”.

Just allow Pepe, Saka, ESR and Aubameyang to flourish with their spontaneity and flair on the ball wihtout being inhibited into a fixed pattern of plays.

This could be make or break for Arteta and his preferred players

Xhaka is Arteta’s Man But Can He Grab Games By The Throat

Posted by: Arsenal Times (IP Logged)

Date: 11/08/2021 16:57

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021:08:18:07:38:12 by Padre Pio.