Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have never failed to amaze the football fanatics whenever they locked horns in the North London derbies. The Sunday evening contest was no exception either as the Gunners staged a stunning comeback from two goals down to finish it all square at the Emirates.
The home fans, however, might feel dejected for dropping a couple of points in favourable surroundings and the substandard display from a few of their stars must have exasperated them during the contest. Although the central defensive pair of Sokratis Papastathopoulos and David Luiz were underwhelming along with Bernd Leno between the sticks, club skipper Granit Xhaka was disastrous once again in such an intriguing battle.
The Switzerland international conceded a silly spot-kick by bringing Heung-min Son down inside the box. Peter Drury rightly described the vicious challenge as ‘so late it’s almost tomorrow‘. The midfield general kept on making clumsy tackles throughout and was lucky to be booked only once that too in the closing minutes of the encounter.
What Does Xhaka Offers In A Gunners’ Kit?
The 26-year-old has been elected as club captain to succeed Laurent Koscienly, but he is more of a disappointment over inspiration on the pitch. His thunderous long-range efforts trouble the opponents at times, but his contribution as a deep-lying playmaker is utterly insignificant if compared to the likes of Fernandinho or Fabinho. One needs to be combative as well as destructive while operating as a ‘number 6’. The tackles need to be timely, clinical and quick-witted when a number 6 is screening the backline or slotting deep down the pitch to calm things down under pressure.
Xhaka, meanwhile, has conceded five penalties and made 11 errors that eventually led up to goals since completing a £30m move from Borussia Monchengladbach back in the summer of 2016. He committed seven fouls against Tottenham, the most by a player in a Premier League game this season. These numbers are appalling given the responsibility he has been handed in the middle of the park while his work-rate lacks the impact due to inconsistency and high-profile errors.
What Should Emery Do Going Forward?
Amid all the disappointments surrounding Granit Xhaka, 20-year-old Matteo Guendouzi was stunning once again with his work ethics and all-round performance. Lucas Torreira was effective too, and the gaffer must deploy the duo centrally allowing Dani Ceballos to enjoy a free role behind the front trio of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe.
Emery has not gone after names since taking charge of the Gunners and did not hesitate to bench a player of Mesut Ozil’s stature. The same should be applied soon for the Arsenal skipper before it gets too late to stay in the ‘top four’ hunt.
