Premier League 2017/18: 10 players who have disappointed this season

#5 Granit Xhaka: Arsenal

Xhaka is definitely not a holding midfielder

Arsenal has a very contrasting squad currently, as their forwards are menacing but the back end of the pitch is palpable. Amongst the top six, Arsene Wenger’s side provides the worst protection to their backline by playing Granit Xhaka as a holding midfielder.

Xhaka is primarily a creative player, who likes to commit forward and does not like being held back to do his defensive duties. Wenger has actually tried to somehow convert the Swiss midfielder to a more defensive-minded player but all the efforts have gone in vain.

He continues to disappoint in the deeper role as his concentration and tackling is just not good enough for a player playing that deep on the field. He often fails to read the attacking moves properly and hence lets the opposition run past him easily.

Though Xhaka has recorded just three defensive errors in the league this season, this statistic fails to depict the entire story. A lot of Arsenal’s problems arise from deep midfield, and Xhaka is the one player to blame for that.