The Resurgence of Granit Xhaka
The resurgence of Granit Xhaka has been nothing short of miraculous. Cast your mind back to October of 2019, that notorious night when he responded to the chorus of boos ringing around the Emirates by giving the Arsenal faithful the finger. Disgraced and at odds with his fans, he admitted he had reached rock bottom.
Xhaka was Arsenal’s club captain and embodied the poor performances staining the post-Wenger era.
That feels like a generation ago. The 31-year-old is now the barometer for both club and country, playing an electric brand of high-press, possession-dominating football. He is excelling in both arenas, controlling the tempo and spraying passes forward.
So, how did the Swiss midfielder rise from such a low position to lead his team to the first invincible season in Europe for 20 years?
Granit Xhaka: The arrival of Arteta
The arrival of Pep-prodigy Mikel Arteta in December 2019 gave Granit a fresh start. Granit Xhaka credits Arteta with imbuing him with a new sense of confidence and reintroducing him into the starting lineup. Together, they turned the season on its head, winning the FA Cup that summer.
Reinvigorated by a manager who had faith in him, he relished the opportunity that Arteta’s system provided him to push further up the pitch. He was able to show off the creative range of his passing, uninhibited by defensive burdens previously imposed upon him.
The 2022/23 season represented the crescendo of Arsenal’s efforts to establish themselves as legitimate title contenders. With the freedom that playing alongside defensive midfielder Declan Rice provided, Xhaka appeared in all but one of Arsenal’s fixtures, contributing nine goals and seven assists and playing the best football of his career.
Now his relationship with the fans was repaired, and his dignity restored, Xhaka was able to leave North London with his head held high. No need for any unsavoury gestures this time.
A new chapter
Moving to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2023, he had finally escaped the crucible that is the English media, and sought the chance to play under a novice manager with some strong ideas.
When Xabi Alonso was appointed the Bayer Leverkusen manager in October 2022, the German club was second from bottom having suffered their worst start to a season since 1979. Not many could have predicted what was to come.
He turned things around, managing to lead the team to 6th place in the Bundesliga and an appearance in the Europa Conference league semi-final.
Xhaka arrived the following summer and instantly became their anchor, with every attack pivoting around his creative vision. His combination of tenacious defensive pressing and highly efficient passing complimented Alonso’s style elegantly. Watching Leverkusen this past season was suffocating. They selfishly hogged the ball, maniacally hunted opponents down if they managed to steal it from them, and never, ever, said die.
They scored 17 goals after the 90th minute. That is absurd.
Xhaka found his perfect match and reaped the rewards, not only winning the league and the cup in Germany, but going the entire domestic season unbeaten. Historic.
Representing his country
His form has continued into the European Championships this year as Switzerland continue to defy expectations and delight neutrals. As captain of his country he leads by fiery example, dictating a fluid formation which has proved tricky to decipher. Switzerland are undefeated in the tournament, having drawn to the hosts Germany in Group A and beaten the reigning champions Italy.
After a torrid display against Slovakia, cleaned up by the miraculous Jude Bellingham, England will be focused on nullifying Xhaka’s creative threat as they face Switzerland in the quarter-finals. Granit has played against much of the England side, having lined up with Bukayo Saka at Arsenal, and so will fancy himself in competition with familiar faces.
It should take a far more convincing performance from England to overwhelm the ingenuitive Swiss offence, which orbits around Xhaka’s brilliance.
