For some reason there is this consensus that today’s player is a liability to most teams. If you’ve seen him for the past 3 seasons you’d have to question the validity of the above statement…
Granit Xhaka is without question the most underrated player of his style and position in the entirety of football at the moment. Not only has he displayed his impeccable tactical versatility (with him showcasing his box to box prowess at Arsenal, and now showcasing his playmaking intellect at the undefeated Bayer Leverkusen), as well as continuing his stature as a dressing room favorite no matter where he goes. It has to be said that the way in which he fell out with some of the fans under Unai Emery at Arsenal which resulted in him being stripped of the captaincy was a bad look for him, but Granit has done nothing else but revitalize his reputation ever since that instance, and we’re so elated to see that he is on the verge of becoming a champion (so long as they keep things up in Germany).
SM24 ATTRIBUTES
We really like the look of Granit’s attributes as they most definitely showcase exactly who he is as a player. Like we mentioned back in season 9’s look at the 4-2-2-2, Xhaka is a player who is extremely versatile and can do a load of different roles based on however you want him to play. Now, with his basic attributes you can clearly see that Granit is someone who definitely has a lot of really good qualities, which is why I don’t think that they’ll be a lot of changes pertaining his attributes today (but let’s wait to find out)…
TECHNICAL ATTRIBUTES
Granit Xhaka is one of the better technically well equipped M(C)’s within the modern game and it is safe to say that the image above truly does him a great service in the displaying of how much of an effective player that he is. A great compilation of the Swiss captain’s quality!
WHAT WE THINK
Although there isn’t much that needs to be changed, there is one attribute that is a little too low for our liking. For the OG Soccermanagerites, you’d remember episode 33 of season 4, and we return to that topic as we explain one of the most important attributes for every professional soccer player out there… Seriously, Positioning is a very important attribute that we have to take into consideration since there is no professional player currently playing that doesn’t have a basic understanding of where they should be at all times on the pitch, and a player like Granit Xhaka, who excelled during his last two seasons with Arsenal, definitely deserves a higher Positioning for his ability.
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES
It’s as we were with the physical aspects of Granit’s game since they’re much on point… He’s not the best in the air, not the quickest, but he damn sure is a VERY fit player who gives 100% in every game that he plays.
WHAT WE THINK
MENTAL ATTRIBUTES
We almost made it two for two in terms of not needing to change anything, but that Leadership role is simply not good enough for the kind of character that Granit is… Remember when I stated that his reputation was tarnished after being relinquished of the captains arm band back at Arsenal? Well, 5 years of steady displays have allowed it to be well documented that his reputation has been revitalized with the level of importance he has been given ever since that dark spell within his career.
The final verdict is that we are truly proud and delighted with the way in which Granit Xhaka’s attributes have been represented within SM24. It brings us even more joy since he is one of our favourites… 😁
The Soccermanager Experience 