The three roles Granit Xhaka played against Man Utd that proved Arsenal cannot succeed without him

In the words of Mikel Arteta, it was a “risky move” for Granit Xhaka to open up in the way that he did earlier this month, detailing his fractious relationship with the Arsenal supporters and saying his connection with the fans will “never be the same” following the dramatic events of 2019.

In an article for The Players’ Tribune, Xhaka had described the “pure hatred” he received from supporters when he was booed at the Emirates Stadium in a match against Crystal Palace. “When I close my eyes now, I can still see their faces,” Xhaka wrote.

Those images are evidently burned deep into his mind, impossible to cleanse, but there is no reason why he cannot now create new, happier memories to sit alongside them. Saturday’s victory over Manchester United was certainly one of those days to remember for the right reasons for Xhaka, who produced a superb individual performance in a chaotic match.

It has not been easy for Xhaka at times, or indeed for the supporters who have watched him over the years, but days like these serve to underline why he remains such a crucial member of this Arsenal team. Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and now Arteta all trusted Xhaka entirely, and in Arteta’s case that faith was repaid in style on Saturday.

Xhaka played a key role in the first goal, scored by unpredictable left-back Nuno Tavares, and then struck the third from range to seal a potentially pivotal victory in the race for the top four. It was Xhaka’s first goal since a similarly spectacular effort against Chelsea in December 2020, and his subsequent celebration with the home crowd looked to be hugely significant on a personal level.

Across the match, Xhaka showed a level of experience and maturity that has often been missing from this young Arsenal team in recent weeks. He essentially played three different roles as the afternoon unfolded, transforming from creative midfielder into calming influence and then emerging as an all-action force as the second half opened up.

There had been a subtle but significant shift in Xhaka’s positioning since the turn of the year, with the 29 year-old playing higher while Thomas Partey controlled the base of the midfield. Partey’s injury has put the experiment on hold in recent weeks, with Xhaka instead sitting deeper in front of the defence or filling in for the injured Kieran Tierney at left-back.

With the defensive-minded Mohamed Elneny alongside him on Saturday, as was the case in the midweek victory at Chelsea, Xhaka clearly felt more freedom to push forward again. For the opening half an hour against a disorganised United, Xhaka regularly strode into advanced midfield positions, and it was his cross to Bukayo Saka which led to Arsenal’s opening goal after only three minutes.

Arsenal were intent on pushing forward in this early period of the match, squeezing high up the pitch, and Xhaka was heavily involved in their passing game. In 30 minutes he completed 30 of his 33 passes, keeping the ball moving for his team and pushing into advanced positions on the left.

United posed a considerable attacking threat, though, scoring through Cristiano Ronaldo and causing problems towards the end of the first half. Whether it was through choice or necessity, Xhaka altered his game as United grew into the occasion, sinking a little further towards his own goal and attempting fewer adventurous passes. He started to play a more defensive role, too, making tackles and clearances as United pushed forward. Arteta later described Arsenal as “trembling” in this period of the match.

Arsenal emerged through this dark spell, thanks in large part to Xhaka’s long-range effort. From there, with a two-goal lead restored, the Switzerland captain was able to savour the occasion. Suddenly he was popping up on the right wing, an unfamiliar position for him, where he exchanged quick passes and helped to rip the energy out of a downbeat United side.

Xhaka no longer wears the armband for Arsenal, after it was stripped of him following the Palace game in 2019, but he remains the natural leader of the team. This was a performance that once again proved his importance, and he was similarly effective at Stamford Bridge in midweek.

“If every fan spent five, 10 minutes with Granit - or even two minutes is enough - they will understand the person that he is, the professional that he is and how much he cares about the club,” said Arteta.

One can never tell when the next moment of inexplicable foolishness might arrive with Xhaka, and it is a sad reality of his Arsenal career that those setbacks tend to undermine so much of his best work. His challenge now is to maintain his current form and reliability, to prove to the wider world why he has Arteta’s unshakeable trust and then, at the end of it all, to lead Arsenal back into the Champions League.