Notorious Big
Drunka In Friend Zone
Busquets from Albania.
-
! ! ! IMPORTANT MESSAGE ! ! !
Discussions about police investigations
In light of recent developments about a player from Premier League being arrested and until there is an official announcement, ALL users should refrain from discussing or speculating about situations around personal off-pitch matters related to any Arsenal player. This is to protect you and the forum.
Users who disregard this reminder will be issued warnings and their posts will get deleted from public.
Granit Xhaka: Swiss Army Knife or Blunt Tool?
- Thread starter Marjorie
- Start date
- Replies 6,975
- Views 398,629
- Status
He always struggles when pressed. It happens nearly every time we play a team with a decent press. Elneny’s passing is a lot worse but he’s much more press resistant which is probably why he was left on.
Ash10
Chairman of the Bum Brigade
BTW wasn't he supposed to be 'press resistant'? Just take the L like you always do
Manberg
Predator
He is. What big mistake did he make?
Can’t have lost the ball more than 3 times, none of which resulted in a goal.
Jury
A-M's drunk uncle
When you’re being hooked for Elneny, you’re done.
Ash10
Chairman of the Bum Brigade
& that doesn't affect my statement at all
AbouCuéllar
Author of A-M essays 📚
I also think Arteta will be thinking Xhaka-Ceballos leaves us a little short of legs in midfield, which is why he probably kept Elneny on.
Elneny is a really dreadful passer but as you say is more press resistant and has more legs, it's really much of muchness between him and Xhaka, what's obvious is that Ceballos is the best of the three, poor from Arteta not to start him, still a bit too conservative at times for my liking if I'm being critical, wish he would learn from the times where over-conservativism has really bit him (Olympiakos, 2nd half against Leicester last season).
Still Basque God and our Saviour though.
Convinced @Manberg has no idea what press resistance means at all. It's literally the only explanation for not realising Xhaka doesn't have it.
Ash10
Chairman of the Bum Brigade
& that's your definition of press resistant or a great performance? You honestly should be banned for claiming to have 'football knowledge'
RacingPhoton
Established Member
He was just watching the game go by without being able to do anything about the Liverpool press. Did you even watch Ceballos take on Liverpool's press? That is what good midfielders do. Xhaka during his lengthy period has made us forget what a good midfield looks like. He is not even the best midfielder in Arsenal. Ceballos is miles ahead of him and Elneny is closing in on him. If we sign Partey, his career at Arsenal is finished.
Jury
A-M's drunk uncle
It’s not about mistakes, it’s about not being capable of taking a pass confidently in high pressure moments and being capable of transitioning the ball. He’s incapable of taking a ball on the half turn to see passes. He’s like a tower block on a skateboard.
AbouCuéllar
Author of A-M essays 📚
Can someone just show him a video of Ceballos' touches today and Holding and Xhaka's touches so he can understand what press resistance is and isn't?
Godwin1
Very well-known
Wasn't he banned along similar lines before or did he just leave?
RacingPhoton
Established Member
Exactly. People were here trying to defend Xhaka by making audacious claims that there is no such thing named press resistance
Apparently good midfielders just give the ball back to GK or defenders when they are pressed 
They all just got schooled by Ceballos. That back heel pass by Ceballos to unlock Bellerin when he was being pressed by 2 liverpool players is something Xhaka can't even do in his dreams.
Maybe
You're wrong, no?
Just watching some analysis on Sky, it's hard to play from the back with him there, we definitely need Ceballos and his ability to turn with the ball under pressure. I was saying for a while that Xhaka's contribution over the last few months was overrated, it was Ceballos who kept us moving all along
AbouCuéllar
Author of A-M essays 📚
Or the weight on the pass to Bellerín down the line, the composure in a few other moments there on the right to bring the ball out, do a couple of feints and find a pass (hint: that is press resistance, not passing the ball back to the keeper or hoofing it upfield as soon as someone comes close, or giving the ball away in a dangerous area as he did the one time he tried to dribble and show what would've been press-resistance), or the composure to find Lacazette.Exactly. People were here trying to defend Xhaka by making audacious claims that there is no such thing named press resistance
They all just got schooled by Ceballos. That back heel pass by Ceballos to unlock Bellerin when he was being pressed by 2 liverpool players is something Xhaka can't even do in his dreams.
He's just a better midfielder. I don't know why Arsenal fans sometimes like to dispute the obvious. Like I said, bit disappointed in Arteta for not starting him today, perhaps though he didn't like how unconcentrated he seemed to be the other day when he came on against Leicester. I'm sure we'll see him starting in the next matches, though, Arteta knows what he's doing and has seen what we all saw.
Holding is a huge problem in that too, quite useless passing out. Luiz, while less so, I don't understand why his long passing sometimes is so poor and inaccurate, the other day against Leicester it was great. Frustrating.
Manberg
Predator
Exactly. People were here trying to defend Xhaka by making audacious claims that there is no such thing named press resistance
They all just got schooled by Ceballos. That back heel pass by Ceballos to unlock Bellerin when he was being pressed by 2 liverpool players is something Xhaka can't even do in his dreams.
There’s nothing wrong with passing it backwards when pressed. The midfield can pass backwards, expecting defenders to make good long balls and attackers to hold the ball up. It’s a solid tactic. Xhaka did not make many mistakes he’s hardly to blame. Did ok.
RacingPhoton
Established Member
Forget mistakes. He didn't do anything at all. Of course, even if he doesn't take a single touch, you will call that a great performance because he did not make any mistakes
That's the level Xhaka has brought down the club to. Not making mistakes is a great performance these days. If you look at it with that scale, Ceballos just gave a CR7 level performance.
Manberg
Predator
Forget mistakes. He didn't do anything at all. Of course, even if he doesn't take a single touch, you will call that a great performance because he did not make any mistakes
Watch our goal. It was a beautiful pass from Xhaka. Also, why do you think Liverpool were marking him so tightly? They were denying him space, they’re wary of Xhaka’s quality.
RacingPhoton
Established Member
It was a simple pass any decent midfielder could have made. And in the end, we made a goal out of it because of a Liverpool mistake. Xhaka's pass had nothing to do with it.
- Status
