His bags were packed. Granit Xhaka was ready, there and then, to leave Arsenal for good.
Even for the strongest characters to have ever played the game, there would be no way back from telling your own supporters to “f*** off” as you were loudly booed off the pitch.
Instead, that flashpoint in 2019 helped shape the then Arsenal pantomime villain into a midfielder capable of sending England packing this week in Germany.
Chastised from all angles for his reaction to that Crystal Palace substitution, we should now be celebrating Xhaka for what he has become since – one of the best midfielders in the world, with the biggest heart adorning his sleeve.
From rock-bottom to potential Ballon d’Or nominee – Xhaka’s ascension to the top of his metronomic profession has been building. After a cooling-off period in 2019, Xhaka slowly won Arsenal fans over and left to a hero’s send-off.
Under a manager who trusted him in Mikel Arteta, the Switzerland star flourished in his final Gunners years, before heading to Germany to be the fulcrum of a Bayer Leverkusen-infused juggernaut that took the Bundesliga by storm.
“The influence Granit has had on everyone at the club will tell you just how popular he is,” Arteta said as Xhaka departed. “We are saying goodbye to a fantastic player and person loved by all of us.”
Not only had he won hearts back in north London, he earned their respect. To go from where he was to a player the club were desperate to keep is a resurrection story to rival anything the Bible can offer.
Most players wouldn’t have reacted like Xhaka to being substituted, but that is what makes him worth celebrating. If he had followed his foul-mouthed reaction by going on strike or refusing to give his all in training, then supporters would remain within their rights to voice disapproval. Instead he changed hearts and minds, in his own unique way.
When he left Arsenal and the fanfare had played its final note, some Arsenal reporters sought out Xhaka to say thank you. Win, lose or draw, Xhaka would often face the media’s questions, answering in an open and honest way.
In a world where Premier League clubs actively discourage players from speaking publicly, for fear of revealing longing desires to seek pastures new, the fact Xhaka took time to explain damaging Arsenal defeats does not go unnoticed by those consistently ignored the rest of the time.
And when he does talk, it is often engaging, opinionated and, most of all, fun.
“We won before even entering the pitch,” Xhaka said after Switzerland’s sensational last-16 win over Italy. “I’ve never seen Italy struggle as much as they did against us.”
Such bravado can be forgiven. As England stumbled through to the last eight, Switzerland have been one of the standout performers, driven on by their orchestrator-in-chief.
Xhaka thrives being the ball-playing No 6 in Murat Yakin’s system, with his form in a career-defining last 12 months nothing short of spectacular.
In 64 games for club and country since Xhaka bid farewell to the Emirates, he has tasted defeat just twice. The man Xabi Alonso describes as his “true leader”, Xhaka made the most passes in the Bundesliga last term, while, remarkably, also completing more passes with the final third, despite playing at the base of midfield, than any other player in the league.
Such form has catapulted the dangerous Swiss into England’s eyeline at Euro 2024. In his Man of the Match display against a dazed and bewildered Italy, Xhaka completed 36 line-breaking passes, seven more than any England midfielder managed, in 120 minutes, against an inferior Slovakia side.
Only Toni Kroos can boast more all tournament. Illustrious company for a player who has completed every minute for Switzerland in Germany and has only been dispossessed once.
That mantlepiece is getting full. Xhaka is one Player of the Match award away from having the joint most in European Championship history. He has only made 12 appearances in the competition, but he has been named the best player on the pitch in five of them.
Forget what you remember from his time in England. Xhaka joined Arsenal at the end of an era, and whenever any long-running regimes comes to an end, chaos follows. After Unai Emery’s tumultuous spell following Arsene Wenger’s departure, Arteta steadied the ship, with Xhaka as his helmsman.
Leaving Arsenal for the Bundesliga was seen as a step down, not taking into account what Alonso was creating in Leverkusen. Alonso couldn’t have masterminded an unprecedented unbeaten domestic season without Xhaka and Switzerland are equally as reliant on Mr Misunderstood too.
Up against his long-term successor at Arsenal in Declan Rice, Xhaka will be determined to have the last laugh. On what we have seen this summer, you wouldn’t bet against a laborious England becoming his latest victim.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/kClJMaK
Post a Comment