How Xhaka repaid trust of Arteta to earn his redemption
When Mikel Arteta said a few weeks ago that the absence of supporters from matches was helping some of his players, it was not hard to guess who he had in mind. No member of Arteta’s squad has endured more struggles with Arsenal’s fans than Granit Xhaka, and few of his players have been as consistently impressive without crowds.
If only those jeering supporters could see Xhaka (right) now, in the flesh rather than on television. There would be no boos, given the midfielder’s performances at the heart of Arteta’s side, and there would be no questioning his value as one of the pillars of the team.
Of all the changes Arteta has made since his appointment, and for all the steps Arsenal have taken as a team under his guidance, convincing Xhaka to remain at the club is arguably the Spaniard’s most significant achievement so far. Make no mistake, Xhaka was heading out in January: his head gone, his heart set on a move back to Germany.
“I had to convince him he had a future here,” Arteta has said. This week Xhaka told BT Sport: “I was very, very close to leaving the club. But Mikel turned me around and gave me a second chance and he showed me he trusted me. I have tried to give him everything back.”
It should send shivers down the spines of Arsenal’s executives to think that, if Arteta’s appointment had been delayed by just two weeks, Xhaka would have left before he had a chance to meet the new head coach. On such fine margins do seasons change and, while Arsenal did not meet their expectations in the Premier League, they would be nowhere near this FA Cup final without Xhaka’s influence.
Against Manchester City in the semi-final, it was Xhaka’s defensive diligence that kept the score at 0-0 early on. He was alert to the danger and fierce in the tackle. He was stripped of the captaincy by Unai Emery after storming off the pitch when he was booed in the game at home to Crystal Palace, but remains the club captain in all but name.
Only Emiliano Martinez, the goalkeeper, talks more frequently – and loudly – on the pitch.
Xhaka’s importance has been magnified by Arsenal’s problems in central areas. Matteo Guendouzi remains on the naughty step, heading for the exit. Mesut Ozil has not played since before lockdown. Lucas Torreira is still regaining his fitness after an ankle injury. Joe Willock is energetic, but raw. Arsenal are hopeful of signing a box-to-box midfielder – Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey is at the top of the list – but for now Arteta is
reliant on Xhaka and Dani Ceballos in this crucial position.
In the Premier League this season, Arsenal have started eight matches without Xhaka. They have won just one of those, against Burnley in August, and lost their last four.
“He is a player that, when he commits, he goes 100 per cent,” Arteta said last week. “He has won everybody’s trust again.”
Xhaka’s redemptive journey would be completed with victory over Chelsea today. In many ways, his season encapsulates Arsenal’s campaign: chaos at the start, uncertainty over the future in the middle and then cautious optimism under Arteta at the end. The pain he felt in the autumn, though, will take time to heal. What happens when the crowds return and he makes an occasional mistake? What happens if the team do not qualify for the Europa League and fail to invest in new players this summer? “It was not a good time for me and my family after that [Palace] game,” Xhaka told Blick. “It was stressful for me. I suffered a lot.” Xhaka said he learnt from the episode. It will help that he is a strongwilled character off the pitch. Nothing would help more, though, than winning the Cup. Xhaka would not be front and centre of the celebrations, but there is no denying he is central to this team.