Captain, crazy and crucial. Usually ‘cool, calm and collected’ would be the words in that phrase, but Granit Xhaka is hardly a man fitting of the description.
Still just 23-years-old, the Swiss International is the rock that forms the base of Borussia Monchengladbach’s midfield and is the emotional fulcrum of the side as well.
Yes, he has his discipline problems and will miss the clash with Hannover at Borussia Park this weekend, following a late dismissal in the goalless draw with Ingolstadt two weeks ago. A case of too many words directed at the referee and then a poor tackle saw Xhaka given his marching orders, however, his underlying influence on matches almost makes moments like these acceptable – up to a point.
Under new coach Andre Schubert, Xhaka appears to have assumed a greater leadership role despite his age and is often the voice of the team when speaking to the media. He was heavily involved in a player’s-only meeting after the club had began the Bundesliga with a run of losses, publicly backing them to make a comeback and regain their form.
From his position on the pitch, the Swiss sees everything and calls the shots for others, audibly directing his teammates throughout matches. He often acts as the last barrier between a ball carrier and the defence, but his football IQ is such that last-ditch tackles are not needed – his positioning itself often able to help divert attacks wide for Gladbach’s lateral pressing system to work.
That pressing system, which was so heavily utilised by Lucien Favre, is not as apparent under Andre Schubert with the manager preferring to urge his players to press from the front, rather than sitting back and channeling like the previous ideal. Xhaka acts as a sort of pivot in that sense as he sits centrally, helping to orchestrate and maintain the pressing movement of the team, also while holding a strong midfield line.
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He has all the hallmarks of a top player – great passing, tenacity, shooting and leadership, but he will consistently have the one red mark of discipline. His drive and competitive nature is obviously a bonus, but it occasionally boils over to the point where it becomes a detrimental factor rather than a positive attribute. A prime example of this was the recent match against Ingolstadt, where he received the first yellow card merely for carrying on an argument with the referee, over a foul that was not even awarded against him.
This temperament may very well be what is keeping teams from other leagues coming for him – a good player is useless if he is banned from playing. But recent reports have suggested that English giants Arsenal and Liverpool are in for the midfielder, understandable given that both sides lack a serious enforcer in their current teams. At only 23-years-old, Xhaka still has a lifetime of football ahead of him in which to improve, but ahead of another match that he will be watching from the stands, it is clear which area he needs to begin improving first.
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