Granit Xhaka's incredible turnaround at Arsenal continues to be one of the stories of the season. The Swiss midfielder's sensational start to the campaign was taken to another level on Thursday evening as he scored the only goal of the game to help the Gunners beat PSV Eindhoven to qualify from their Europa League group.
He has played an integral role in helping Arsenal reach the top of the table in the Premier League, while he is also having a huge impact in Europe. After the PSV win, Mikel Arteta heaped praise on the 30-year-old.
"He does," replied Arteta when asked if Xhaka looks like a more complete player compared to last season.
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"And it’s just about unlocking something in the player’s mind and being more open and receptive to other things, and he’s been extremely open. His work rate all the time to learn is fantastic, and now I think it’s paying off."
Gunners legend Martin Keown is in agreement with Arteta that Xhaka looks a different player this season. Much of that is do with a slight role change, which is seeing the midfielder play higher up the pitch. When playing in a deeper role previously, Xhaka wasn't getting the opportunities to demonstrate his attacking quality - but he's proved that he has a creative spark and an eye for goal.
"In the early days he used to play box-to-box, but now it seems that it's best to have one sitting with another flying forward," Keown told BT Sport.
"We saw tonight he knows exactly when to go forward and gamble a little bit. He's just waiting for that opportunity. The quality of the finish was outstanding.
"He's sitting there going 'I'm just going to go a little bit more advanced here, we've got plenty of bodies behind me, and I'll just wait in acres of space'."
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