How many chances can a player have?
Granit Xhaka once again let our side down badly. It was again his naivety that cost us dearly when he reacted badly in our loss to Burnley, his red card ruining any prospect our side had of winning the game.
Mired in a rut, our team needed a result and Xhaka’s red mist was the thief that stole the points.
Yet, once again, we are a few weeks on and the Swiss midfielder has reminded us once again that he still has a part to play in this side.
His mature performance in our 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace was exactly what we needed. He rescued us with some excellent interceptions and tackling on more than one occasion and won the ball back 11 times during the game – more than anyone on the pitch.
With a display like this, he seems the perfect partner for Thomas Partey in our established midfield. Neither Mo Elneny nor Dani Ceballos are capable of running the show as Xhaka did, and it isn’t the first time our Swiss midfielder has proved to us fans that Arteta is right regarding his leadership qualities and skills.
And yet, we have another player with chinks in his armour. A player who has enough talent to play at this level consistently – yet suffers blips in their game that leave their side fragile.
The same goes for Shkodran Mustafi. The German can defend like a warrior for 85 minutes, repelling everything that comes his way. Then he can inexplicably fall over his own feet and leave us open.
Xhaka is a little different as it is his temper that gets the better of him – but it is still classed as a weakness that leaves us weak in turn.
If Xhaka can finally learn from this, he certainly has a place in our side and could form a strong midfield with Partey.
If not, and he yet again falls foul – there can be only one place for him.