Mikel Arteta decided to put Granit Xhaka in the left-back position over Nuno Tavares for the clash with Brighton and paid the price for the risk. The Swiss international was caught out of position leading to the first goal.
Many supporters rightly criticised the Arsenal manager for dropping Tavares and weakening the midfield by isolating Albert Sambi Lokonga. With Southampton approaching, many are concerned that the Spaniard will repeat the decision and put Xhaka into his unorthodox role once again.
With this in mind, it was unsurprising that Arteta was asked about the decision in his pre-match press conference. He replied staunchly when asked whether there was a trust issue with Tavares.
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“No,” Arteta replied. “The trust comes from the way I communicate with them. That I give them the right reasons, when I put a player on the pitch it's because I can see that they are in the right condition to do that. To show trust and for the player to show trust to us is that I'm going to give them the opportunity when I believe that he is ready to do that. When I see in the moment that he is doubting, I don't do him any favours by putting him in there.”
However, he continued with an intriguing point about Xhaka. Arteta mentioned the record that Arsenal have when playing with Xhaka at left-back. “Then you can discuss whether Granit can play there, just look at the stats when the team has played with Granit as a left-back. They don't get much better than that,” Arteta claimed.
This did not seem to stack up at first listen and with a bit of research, it quickly became clear why there was doubt. Arsenal have played with Granit Xhaka ten times at left-back, according to Transfermarkt.
Twice he was utilised in the role by Unai Emery. Away to Sporting Lisbon in a 1-0 win and away to Crystal Palace in a 2-2 draw. In the latter game, Xhaka famously scored a remarkable free-kick before bringing down Wilfried Zaha in the box, giving away a penalty and costing Arsenal three points.
Under Arteta, Xhaka has featured at left-back on eight occasions. Arsenal have won four of the games, drawn one and lost three. Hardly a record that could be described as, “They don’t get much better.”
In fact, another infamous occasion was away to Emery’s Villarreal in the Europa League semi-final. Arsenal lost the match 2-1, Samuel Chukwueze outwitting Xhaka in the left-back role before setting up Manu Trigueros for the opener. The other matches in which the Gunners dropped points were in a 1-1 draw with Fulham at home and the 1-0 home loss to Everton. Both took place in a crucial April period which cost the Gunners their hopes of qualifying for Europe.
Will Mikel Arteta again risk Arsenal’s chances of achieving their goals by putting Xhaka at left-back? There is a worry from his words in the presser that this will be the case.
It is incredibly frustrating to be told that the record for Xhaka at left-back is a good one when the reality is different as a justification for the selection. And all the more grating is that fans could see the deficiencies themselves in the Brighton defeat. For all the good Arteta has done, these moments are what vindicate the doubt that grows in the Arsenal manager throughout his tenure.
