9 months ago
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It turns out that Granit Xhaka’s miraculous turnaround at Arsenal was just part one of an astonishing story.
The midfielder, who infamously flipped off the Emirates crowd and threw his captain’s armband in the bin before becoming a club favourite, has continued his rise to prominence in incredible style.
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Returning to the Bundesliga with a hero of his in Xabi Alonso always seemed like a good fit, but the results have been astounding.
Now the most important player in Bayer Leverkusen’s shock title charge, the biggest surprise is that both Mikel Arteta and Alonso saw it coming when the world had written him off.
“It was a privilege for me to have Mikel first, and now Xabi,” Xhaka explained. “First of all Xabi was an amazing player and for me a midfielder, what Xabi shows me in the small details on the pitch, it’s something special.
“A lot of people asked me ‘why are you going to Germany? It's a step back’ but for me it’s not a step back it’s a step forward. It’s been very good for the team but me as a person too.
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“I learn from Xabi every day. It's a dream to play for him. He was world class in the position, he still gives me things to learn from.
"We see him every day, he runs almost more than us in training. Xabi transmits his hunger and desire to win. And, of course, we also try to show that we want the same thing. As long as he’s here, we'll have fun.”
Liverpool-linked Alonso is understandably taking the headlines, but when it comes to the men on the pitch, no one’s in doubt that it will be Xhaka who’s named the Bundesliga Player of the Season if Leverkusen go the distance.
First and foremost, that would be thanks to his step up tactically. Xhaka has quite literally become an Alonso regen, quarterbacking Leverkusen’s fullback heavy style, and using his ever-increasing reading of the game to stop attacks coming back the other way.
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The biggest characteristic of the die Werkself is their incredible patience, never panicked as they calmly and confidently plod along with their game plan even when chasing points in the final ten minutes of games.
"Granit is an absolute magnet,” as Freiburg manager Christian Streich put it. “He determines everything in terms of rhythm."
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That’s been key in their incredible unbeaten start to the season that’s seen 26 wins and 90 goals in 30 games, and Xhaka has personified that approach, one he certainly wouldn’t have been associated with in his early Arsenal days.
Explaining why Xhaka isn’t just important tactically, Alonso stressed how he’s become his coach in the dressing room too.
“He’s fundamental,” the Spaniard said. “When you are talking and sending messages to the team we talk a lot.
“But when you’re not there and you go to your office and the team is on its own, you need two or three guys to repeat the message you’ve been giving. Then you know you have a big part of the team in your hands.”
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Alonso will likely say it was a necessity, but maybe it was a test, with Xhaka’s incredible transformation put under the biggest stress imaginable.
In the final Bundesliga fixture before the biggest game of the season, a decisive home clash against title rivals Bayern Munich, Leverkusen faced bottom of the table Darmstadt.
Xhaka was on four yellow cards, one from a suspension, and the expectations were he certainly wouldn’t be risked for an easy win, but Alonso took the chance.
It paid off with a 2-0 win, maintaining their two-point advantage over Bayern, that could increase to five at the weekend, and the former Arsenal man could earn hero status by keeping former Tottenham rival Harry Kane trophyless for another season.
The decision also made Alonso look like a genius, and Xhaka a completely different person to the one who regularly got sent off for Arsenal.
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"There were of course discussions with the coach during the week about whether we would take the risk or not,” the Swiss explained. “But I gave the coach a clear signal that I have definitely become more experienced.
"The team's help in getting into duels as little as possible today made my life really easy. Receiving such appreciation from the coach obviously makes me proud, and I think I was able to give it back too.
"We're really showing completely different faces at the moment. Even when things aren't going well, we're there together, fighting for each other, motivating each other.”
Even last season, where Xhaka transformed for Arsenal, there was one high-profile transgression that proved costly.
Facing Liverpool during their title run-in, Xhaka bit at Trent Alexander-Arnold while leading at Anfield, and it backfired massively.
A sedated home crowd got on their feet and turned the game against the Gunners, resulting in a costly draw before two more against West Ham and Southampton, handing the title to Manchester City.
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“I'm speaking from my own experience,” he recalled. “I know what it feels like to be up there and not win in the end. You also need a bit of luck in the end.
"I'm 31 years old and got my experience abroad. I'm trying to set my rhythm and communicate. But we also have a team that listens and pushes itself to the limit.”
All of this modesty and deflection is certainly impressively endearing, but the credit really needs to go to Xhaka himself.
Now studying for his UEFA A coaching licence, Xhaka is in talks with Leverkusen’s directors about taking training sessions for one of the club’s youth teams as he continues his footballing education and path towards retirement.
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A lesson in not just football but life too, he’s proved that anyone can change from the character that’s been set for themselves.
“You can see in the meetings with the team that he is fully focused," Alonso surmised.
"I can see in his eyes that he is always learning and wants to learn more - that's exactly how it was with me in the last phase of my career."
