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No one personifies Arsenal’s endless cycle of existential dread like Granit Xhaka.
There he was on Sunday night, spreading his unique style of fear and confusion among his people, this time with an unnecessary flash of temper and a red card that proved to be the catalyst for a fourth consecutive home loss in the Premier League.
Emirates Stadium attendees expressed their anger at his general direction and wondered how Xhaka was still there, let alone how he had managed to rebound as a fixture in central midfield.
Granit Xhaka again cost Arsenal on Sunday against Burnley with a moment of madness
The reckless midfielder received a direct red card for grabbing Ashley Westwood’s neck
The 28-year-old has played more games than any other outfield player this season. Wasn’t it supposed to come out? Is it the problem or the solution? Does it even matter? Is Arsenal doomed regardless of the presence of pedestrians in front of its central halves?
A year ago, Xhaka was regaining favor with acting boss Freddie Ljungberg following the firing of Unai Emery, the manager who stripped him of the captaincy and set him aside after he cursed his own followers.
That infamous display of petulance during a game against Crystal Palace came in late October 2019. Palace struggled to come back from two to 2-2 and Emery decided to ditch his patron.
The wry cheers turned to boos as Xhaka walked away and put a hand to his ear, told them to fuck off, took off his shirt, and left, apparently never to be seen again.
Arsenal fans have never been convinced by Xhaka. In truth, Arsene Wenger was never entirely convinced. Wenger was in charge when he signed him from Borussia Monchengladbach in May 2016, but it was a move inspired by the club’s data analysts, StatsDNA.
Wenger did not veto the transfer, but it was a clue to the change of power within the club. Their worries weren’t enough to prevent them from spending £ 35 million in Switzerland. Four years later, Xhaka is close to making 200 appearances with the club.
Back in time under Mikel Arteta, he won the FA Cup for the second time and has another two and a half years left on an extended contract when Emery arrived in the summer of 2018.
Twelve months later, he was criticized for conceding a penalty in a 1-1 draw on the penultimate day of the season against Brighton. The lost points denied Arsenal a place in the Champions League. It is unclear if he is a scapegoat or a saboteur, but again he is the symbol of disappearance. Arsenal wallow in 15th place, are beaten seven times in 12 matches and all the progress made, hardening minds and instilling a new identity in Arteta’s first nine months in charge has faded.
Xhaka was involved in a furious feud with Arsenal fans at home to Crystal Palace last season.
Suddenly, they look like the nervous wreckage they became in Wenger’s later years and during Emery’s tenure.
Arteta’s problems go far beyond Xhaka. He is just one of many major stars to fail. There’s Mesut Ozil, an old problem, and Willian, a new one, both raising questions about recruiting and long-term strategy.
Thomas Partey, signed to replace Xhaka in midfield and so impressive in the away win against Manchester United, has barely been fit and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is no longer the deadliest striker in the country.
Aubameyang’s lost goals have been the hardest hit. He scored at the rate of two goals every three games in the Premier League until this season, when he is scoring one in six. His electric pace and deadly finish placed him among the best counterattack forwards in the world and Arsenal beat Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea at the end of last season with low possession rates.
This season, at Emirates, less illustrious rivals have denied him the space he craves. They have given the ball, they have stifled the rhythm of the game and they have expected mistakes. Arteta has lost her balance in her search for a solution.
Right now, under fire, Mikel Arteta needs leaders, but no one is coming up to the plate
It might be easier to find an alternate source of goals, but it’s been almost three months since Alex Lacazette found the net in the league and Willian hasn’t scored since signing from Chelsea. The most significant contribution this season from record-breaking 72 million pound signing Nicolas Pepe is a header and a red card at Leeds.
If they are tense up front, they are terrified in the back as they persist with the tactical craze of getting the ball out of goalkeeper Bernd Leno through defenders and deep midfielders.
After the loss to Burnley, it was Kieran Tierney, the best player of the day, who appeared before the television cameras. Tierney spoke well, honestly and maturely. The 23-year-old Scotsman apologized to fans, said confidence was low but the results weren’t good enough for a club of the stature of Arsenal and promised players “100 percent believe” in Arteta.
Where was the captain? Aubameyang has barely offered a glimpse in public since signing his new contract. It has long been the culture at the club. Players are shielded from tough questions, and before long, the in-house social media team will be drooling over a nutmeg in training or that goal from today five years ago.
The state of form of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in front of goal is very worrying for Arsenal fans
It’s okay in this modern digital world except if they are encouraged to deflect responsibility off the field, don’t be surprised when they do the same on it.
Articulate and opinionated Hector Bellerin represented the squad at the captains’ closing meetings in place of Aubameyang, who was looking for a move that did not materialize. The absence of natural leaders is not a new debate. Arsenal’s strange tendency to hand over the captaincy to the wrong player for the wrong reasons has been in motion since Patrick Vieira left for Juventus 15 years ago.
The problem flares up and draws attention when things go wrong because that is when leadership is required.
Real leadership, meaning that it doesn’t include being tied up to play when cut and shocked or grabbing opponents by the neck to show you’re ready for a fight. None of these things are helpful. Neither of these things solve the problem once again symbolized by Granit Xhaka.
