Granit Xhaka: Managers Love Him! (But No One Else Does)

Yup. As it looks there (can't ever get the whole picture from a still shot) it seems to me like everyone has a man but Mustafi. He's just hanging in space. He needed to come across much quicker to Vardy(as Gab was gesturing for him to do) so Gab could right away take the runner who blew past Xhaka.

If we are just in a regular four then Mustafi is already on Vardy, Gab is on the other guy and Xhaka is higher up in midfield helping to press.

 

Yup, that’s the one.

 

The one big advantage he has is that he's the only left footed cm in our squad now. Modern managers have a strange love for left foot players.

 

I didn't argue cleansheets are more important. I said defending goals is equally important as scoring goals.

 

The advantages of a left-footed player are far more in attacking positions than midfield. The vast majority of professionals are obviously right-footed and so the instinct is to automatically think everyone else is right-footed. So when it comes to tackling you tend to push the leftie onto their favoured side. Also left-footed players are used to playing against right-footed players so their instinct is to go to the defensive players weaker tacking side where they usually end up reaching across themselves to tackle, which is both less effective and dangerous. A proper midfielder will make up for his lack of left foot by using the outside of his right foot to ping balls down the left channel.,

 

I've got no issue with the tactics but for me he overdoes it, goes too tight anticipating the short pass. There's no need to commit to it there and leave us exposed. Stay a yard or two away and then react when they play it short.

The first thought should always be to stop them getting through on goal. It's not ok for anyone to play a ball over the top and get a 2v1 against us, especially when we're playing 3 CBs.

The reason I say he was ball watching is because at 10 seconds, he's looking at Tielemans while Under is sprinting past him. Watch it again, Xhaka is walking backwards, he only starts running after Under is past him. If he starts running earlier he can cut out the pass or be close enough to Under to force him wide, and let Gabriel stick to Vardy.

 

He was the only Arsenal player that the two marauding Leicester players hadn't run past. And that 's because of his positioning. There's no way he could have marked both players though. And if he stayed with Vardy, Under might have scored.

Gabriel looks a half decent player, I'm sorry Lee, I love you, but this time you're talking out of your arse.

 

That's exactly right. People on here are basically saying it's OK to let an opponent run past you without tracking the run. If that's the case you could easily end up with your deepest defender with 2 players to mark. And that's what happened. Maybe if Luiz had been playing, his positioning might have helped Gabriel. Mustafi was nowhere.

Xhaka may not have had the speed to track Under and try to stop him picking up the pass but he didn't try, and didn't even anticipate the danger.

No matter how good your press you can't cut out every long ball from inside your opponents half. That's exactly what Leicester did to City.

 

It was more of a team issue and well worked play rather than particular individual I think Lee was trying to say. I kinda saw his point.

I just think people are reluctant to blame our popular new signing and hungry to blame our existing fodder.

Either way, we didn’t score and Vardy scoring is inevitable - think you guys are splitting hairs over nothing tbh.

 

Mustafi's position is fine, if he was closer to Vardy/Gabriel that would have been bad positioning. Xhaka's positioning is poor there though, mistake trying to step up when there's no pressure on the ball carrier and Tierney does a poor job providing help as he's caught flatfooted..

Agreed with the last point

 

smh

 

We literally have no alternative currently.

 

That picture says it all. Xhaka is already turning but it's too late and he's still watching the ball, Under is already up to speed. Gabriel has Vardy right next to him, but has already seen the problem even at this stage. Bellerin and Tierney both have players outside them to watch. Mustafi is not only completely static, he's watching the ball and totally unaware of what's about to happen.

 

Yeah I've stopped debating, no point.

Seems that the consenus is that Xhaka should have ignored the team tactics and dropped off Under rather than follow Partey as part of a co-ordinated press...aka the manager's instructions. Will have to just agree to disagree.

Glad that Dixon agrees as well, shows I'm not talking total bollocks.

 

That's unfair. Cedric has been shocking so far, and apart from the Fulham game so has Willian. Gabriel has been fantastic and even here he's seen the danger before anyone else. Xhaka is sometimes good, sometimes poor but Mustafi has been a constant liability. There's no agenda here, just lots of evidence to support this.

 

You need to watch the clip someone posted of Bayern's press. Think it would make a lot of things clear for you.

 

Mustafi is Mustafi, Vardy was always gonna Vardy. In an ideal world neither would have even played.

I think the bigger concern is once Luiz was off the pitch we no longer had that type of pass Tielemens pulled off. Or that finish.

 

Xhaka and Ceballos can definitely make those passes. We just don't do it.

Combination of the structure being too wing focused, but I've also noticed our players have had the desire to make risky plays coached out of them. I think it was mentioned that we could hear Arteta shouting at Tierney to keep the ball when he could have made a forward pass.

 

We're just having a discussion, there's no need for arrogance bro. I fully understand how a press works. And I've also seen it come undone many times with long balls and runners not being picked up. Klopp couldn't get his pressing game to work in the EPL until he got the right midfielders and CBs behind his front three. It's not always the managers fault when players are slow and unaware. Klopp and Pep have been struggling with their pressing systems recently and its down to personnel, injuries mainly. Liverpool had 7 goals past them and City 5 - same managers. I'm not blaming Arteta for that goal, but you go ahead.

 

Let’s say that in a parallel universe, Xhaka realise’s that he’s vulnerable where he’s stood admiring the spherical beauty of the football, next to an opposing player who would have him on toast on one leg, and decides to drop off a few yards... The ball comes over and although getting skinned, he’s buys himself enough time to get something on the ball and clear the danger.... How many tactical geniuses on here would be lauding his exceptional improvisation when deciding to break the press and try and nullify the dangerous run instead? How about absolutely nobody?