3 reasons why Arsenal's Granit Xhaka has improved as a player this year | Premier League 2019-20

Arsenal have had a rollercoaster season thus far. The have gone through many ups and equally, many downs. However, they appear to be in a somewhat stable place as a club, showing signs of development at the moment with Mikel Arteta as a manager.

The Gunners remain unbeaten this calendar year, the only side in Europe's top five leagues that can claim this. Mikel Arteta didn't get off to the easiest start but he remained consistent in his philosophy and this is paying off with many players starting to gel.

One of those players is Granit Xhaka, who himself has gone through his fair share of emotions this season. Beginning the campaign as captain, replacing the former Laurent Koscielny, he was not in the good books of Arsenal fans.

Matters exacerbated when he was booed off in Arsenal's draw against Crystal Palace earlier this season, to which he didn't react well. He was stripped of his captaincy after some taboo language was said to the Arsenal crowd.

He was linked with a move away in the January transfer window but he stayed and now Arsenal fans will feel thankful. Here are three reasons as to why he may have had such an improvement this year.

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#1 The instant impact of Mikel Arteta

Granit Xhaka is just one of the players Mikel Arteta has improved.

Mikel Arteta had the majority of Arsenal fans' backing when he was unveiled as manager. The players were certainly excited to have him at the helm, after spending so long under the shackles, it seemed, of Unai Emery.

Within the first few matches, Xhaka simply looked much happier as a person. This shift in morale was bound to transcend onto the pitch and it certainly did, as he began to play like he was supposed to when he first signed for the club.

Mikel Arteta knows everything there is to know about being a great midfielder at Arsenal. Not only did he spend most of his career at the Emirates Stadium, but he also worked alongside talents such as Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey.

That said, he is bound to have had personal conversations with Xhaka about his experience and it is this magnitude of man-management that has struck a chord with Xhaka. Now things are ticking for the Swiss international and Arteta is one of those reasons why.

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#2 Being stripped of the captaincy was a blessing in disguise

The Arsenal fans are beginning to love Granit Xhaka all over again.

As a natural leader, to have your captaincy privileges taken away from you due to one mistake is bound to be demoralising. However, for Xhaka, he can look back at this as one of the best things that's happened to him as an Arsenal player.

It resulted in him being forced to reflect on his actions and it would have motivated him harder to win back the hearts of Arsenal fans. After all, he has really grown to love the club in the short period of time he has been a player.

What was unfortunate was he had what it took to be a captain but he was just given the role at an inopportune time. Things were going wrong for Arsenal and the finger was bound to be pointed to the authority figures, the captain being the biggest of all.

Now that Xhaka doesn't have to worry about this close scrutiny, he has been flourishing as a midfielder. Being free of the onus and captaincy shackles has given him the freedom to do what he does best, simply dictate the play and go about his business quietly.

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#3 He is part of a secure midfield

Granit Xhaka is at the heart of Arsenal's midfield.

Even a year and a half into his Arsenal career, Unai Emery was still unsure over which midfield pairing worked best. This resulted in him trying out a midfield three and distorting his shape often, which was bound to have an impact on the players.

One thing which Mikel Arteta has done is provide the fans with a stable base which he barely changes. Some may perceive this as boring but it has definitely worked.

Arteta favours a midfield pairing of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira which works perfectly. The two complement each other well since Xhaka is the prime passer and someone who can carry the ball forward while Torreira can act as the main enforcer, putting in tackles to break up the opposition play.

Xhaka and Torreira are not only the best midfield pairing but they are also at the right age. Xhaka is now in the prime of his career and Torreira ages at 24. With Matteo Guendouzi proving worthy of first-team football as well, Arsenal could be set in the midfield department for another few years.