Granit Xhaka: 2019/20 Performances

[CaseUteinberger]

Nice game today. And his ****housary today was epic. Got Kovacic sent off all by himself. Well done!

 

[KrissKringle]

First half he was shaky, making mistakes early, but he grew into the game and managed to put in a shift.
We'd be much more dynamic with an athletic deep lying playmaker instead of Xhaka, who I still think doesn't really fit our team since coming here, but he's a decent player when managed right and doesn't have his brainfart moments.

 

[lomekian]

Not as good as 2017, but after the first 15 mins had a strong if not more than good game. Made some important blocks and pressed intelligently

 

[RunTheTrap]

He’ll be a fine back up for Partey. Xhaka’s main concern should be how he challenges Cellabos for a starting role next season.

 

[Manberg]

He’ll be a fine back up for Partey. Xhaka’s main concern should be how he challenges Cellabos for a starting role next season.

They can all play together. It will be a 4-3-3.

 

[RunTheTrap]

They can all play together. It will be a 4-3-3.

So who out of those three will be our creative player? Which one of those three has a final pass or can regularly score goals?
You haven’t heard about the Coutinho rumours lately? Your boy Xhaka is most likely going to be on the bench if Partey and Coutinho come.

 

[Football Manager]

So who out of those three will be our creative player? Which one of those three has a final pass or can regularly score goals?
You haven’t heard about the Coutinho rumours lately? Your boy Xhaka is most likely going to be on the bench if Partey and Coutinho come.

Coutinho is the skillful dribbling/playing one-twos/playing final through pass type of midfielders, similar to ceballos. (Weaker version of Kaka)

Partey is the destroyer who focus on defending and tackling to shut down opponents’ attacks. (Weaker version of Gattuso)

Xhaka is the passer who ping the long pass and control the tempo (Ceballos is not capable of making those passes) We need DLPs like Tonali/Cuisance to replace Xhaka. (Weaker version of Pirlo)

 

[RunTheTrap]

Coutinho is the skillful dribbling/playing one-twos/final ball type of midfielders, similar to ceballos. (Weaker version of Kaka)

Partey is the destroyer who focus on defending and tackling. (Weaker version of Gattuso)

Xhaka is the passer who ping the long pass and control the tempo. Ceballos is not capable of making those passes. We need DLPs like Tonali/Cuisance to replace Xhaka. (Weaker version of Pirlo)

Not true. City literally got 100 points with Fernandinho at the base, a former box to box midfielder turned into a 6. They had two attacking midfielders as interiors, who could control the tempo if needed. You don’t need one person to control the tempo. And you do a disservice to Partey, he breaks lines easier than Xhaka, either through passing or dribbling.

 

[Football Manager]

Not true. City literally got 100 points with Fernandinho at the base, a former box to box midfielder turned into a 6. They had two attacking midfielders as interiors, who could control the tempo if needed. You don’t need one person to control the tempo. And you do a disservice to Partey, he breaks lines easier than Xhaka, either through passing or dribbling.

If we get rid of Xhaka and do the city way, I will be more than happy. But it does not mean that we can’t also be successful doing it the prime Milan/Barcelona way.

But if we choose to do the city way, it means you need to have 2 great technical and athletic CMs. And 2 inverted full backs to become CM when the CM are up there attacking the half space. And if they become CM in the build up phase, it would be good to have one of them being able to ping those accurate long passes to dictate the tempo and distribute the ball.

by the way, never understand why local fans always overrate their hard working brainless/wrong positioning box to box, and hate intelligent DLP so much (not talking about xhaka, I’m talking about the position in general). Players like Carrick is so underrated here (and Xhaka too, I never rate him as top player, but he is a great player with the right system. Definitely not half as poor as some people here claimed that he is).

 

[Taneruit]

So who out of those three will be our creative player? Which one of those three has a final pass or can regularly score goals?
You haven’t heard about the Coutinho rumours lately? Your boy Xhaka is most likely going to be on the bench if Partey and Coutinho come.

He won't.

It's hilarious though how that thought continues as if Arteta can't wait to throw him on the bench to forget about him.

 

[razörist]

I don’t even think ‘turned it around’ does him justice.

He’s becoming indispensable. The player I thought we were signing 4 years ago.

I still have fear in my heart when I see him press high up the pitch thinking how on earth is this slowpoke getting back into position when they get through the press?! But that’s teamplay for you, when we press we all press and Xhaka is protected and we aren’t as exposed as we were under Emery with half the team pressing and half the team edging backwards. Manager makes a big difference.

 

[AberGooner]

Not always been his biggest fan but he's really won me round this last few months. Credit to him for showing the character to turn it around. It helps that he has a really confident personality.

Whether he starts next season or not he's one of the leaders in that team and will be a huge part of the squad.

 

[Trilly]

Anyone still think we can’t make the CL with him?
Xhaka is and always has been a good player, if we’re going for titles or the CL then we can talk about replacing him.

 

[Jury]

Great dive to get the red card—easily his best single moment contribution to the club since he’s been here, by a distance. But of course we need better in there. He’s a glorified clogger. It pains me that Mikel likes him... ****.

 

[Jury]

Anyone still think we can’t make the CL with him?

We can make it in spite of him if we improve other areas. Otherwise, no.

 

[Trilly]

Did well again today, as he has been doing once we finally got a manager that gives him structure.

Which is what people have been saying pretty much his entire career here.

It’s taken us four years but now we see Xhaka in a team that doesn’t set him up for failure. If we had signed him in January people would be calling him a brilliant signing.

 

[Trilly]

We can make it in spite of him if we improve other areas. Otherwise, no.

Same thing.

Quite a few on here are adamant we’ll never make the top 4 with him in the starting line-up.

 

[Jury]

Same thing.

Quite a few on here are adamant we’ll never make the top 4 with him in the starting line-up.

It’s a team game at the end of the day. Better CB’s and scoring more goals would negate his flaws, but it would be such a shame to improve those areas and leave him in there just because he’s captained a couple pub teams and shouts a lot. ****ing travesty.

 

[Maybe]

Anyone still think we can’t make the CL with him?
Xhaka is and always has been a good player, if we’re going for titles or the CL then we can talk about replacing him.

Good players aren't enough anymore to get there. You need a team with great players and we have too many that are "only" good or worse.
I won't get carried away with our FA cup success, but even there, Xhaka had very little impact in those games.
Think he will survive the cut again simply because there are worse players than him, but that's far from saying he will stay because he's too good to be sold

 

[Manberg]

Learn to love Xhaka. He's an important player to any team in the world. Realise that football is about a lot more than end product. Xhaka is one of the best players in his position.