Granit Xhaka

Can we at least get 20 mil for him this summer?

Iā€™d take 20 magic beans.

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Coquelin is better than him.

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I never thought I would see this herešŸ‘ØšŸ¾ā€šŸ’»

Iā€™d even go as far to say that Flamini in his last stint with us was not much worse.

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One thing that gives me some hope is that by all accounts Coquelin & Gabriel look competent at their new club and regardless what BS people might say, theyā€™re worse footballers than Xhaka & Mustafi for sure.

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But thatā€™s subjective thou, because coq is pulling the same numbers that he did in his best season here which leaves room for debate

Whatā€™s Xhaka best qualities? What does he add to the team? Whatā€™s his best partnership? Did wenger play him ahead of coq because of the money spent? For me this guy is trash and a poor signing at best

Yeah that feels a bit like hoping against hope, but I agree with the notion that new manager and new system and a lot of our players improve. But for me, even with that in place, Xhaka and Mustafi do not look like starting players for a team that has ambitions of truly competing for real trophiesā€¦ their instincts, awareness, and overall footballing brains just arenā€™t thereā€¦ a lot is manager, but seriously some players canā€™t be that limitedā€¦

Maybe they can be part of a squad, but that isnā€™t how champions are built - first 11 then worry about the rest.

I think instincts and football brains are overstated and difficult to judge because of how much of an influence system can have on a players performance.

Matic would look horrible in this Arsenal side but has played a key role in two title winning sides.

Iā€™m not against replacing these players, just hesitant to write them off as shit, especially Xhaka who Iā€™m very confident can play in a team that focuses more on being compact. Thereā€™s a lot of good he does in regards to ball progression that no one else in our midfield does that he doesnā€™t get credit for.

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Not sold on the ball progression argument for him honestlyā€¦ our ball progression is at the nadir for Arsenal that I can remember honestlyā€¦ I realize that is organic and team dependent, but his ability to pass perfectly to opponents and be constantly out of position has me questioning his basic brainpower.

Cesc in his prime would not look this sh*t even in this calamity of a squad, for example.

I think weā€™ll get a chance to see him under a different manager since I canā€™t see us getting rid at this stage especially considering weā€™re so piss poor at getting good fees.

At the moment though itā€™s just such a disappointing signing, was hoping he could be a proper controller in midfield for us with the added benefit of contributing on the defensive side. Under a different manager and an actual tactical system that runs through the whole team there might be a different player in there but Iā€™m not too hopeful, even so itā€™s clear the lack of tactical nous of the squad is hurting many of the guys.

Still though , heā€™s almost bust status for me.

This is where I am too. He might come good, but I am not optimisticā€¦ to me best case he is an acceptable option, but we need better.

Probably asking on several othersā€™ behalf here, but, can you elaborate on this a bit more? ā€˜Ball progressionā€™ etc

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Youre right. But only does that when against lesser teams and when not pressed.

Soon as heā€™s under pressure his brain doesnt see that one step ahead of play. Heā€™s a massive liability.

Thatā€™s it exactly he buckles under pressure, when you see the likes of Kroos play heā€™s not very mobile either but itā€™s incredibly difficult to press him or hurry him.

He genuinely looks like heā€™s got all the time in the world on the ball, now granted heā€™s arguably the best CM in world football but still youā€™d expect Xhaka to be a lot more composed and comfortable under pressure especially when heā€™s been signed to play for a team like ours.

https://twitter.com/HandofHenry/status/968122821783236608

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ā€œPlay your natural game.ā€
ā€œPlay with freedom.ā€
ā€œGo on lad, Victoria Concordia Crescit.ā€

Donā€™t mind me just trying to imagine what Wenger says to the boys before they walk out to the pitch.

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It must be so cringe worthy listening to his feeble attempts to G players up for a big game.

Thatā€™s if he even tries to in the first place, he should never utter the word mentality because he clearly doesnā€™t know what it means.

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Wait a professional has to be instructed when to pass, how to pass, what pass to use, who to pass, when to slide, when to watch your mark or just about anything that you would expect a pro to do. What does guy want wenger on the pitch holding xhakaā€™s hands? Next hell need help holding his stick to pee