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Granit Xhaka

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redhorizon2

redhorizon2

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Liverpool FC eye £20million move for Granit Xhaka

Last Updated: November 13, 2015, 02:04pm
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Xhaka.jpg

Xhaka wanted by Liverpool
Liverpool are looking to strengthen their squad with the signing of Swiss star Granit Xhaka during the January transfer window
Jurgen Klopp’s unbeaten start to life as manager of Liverpool was brought to a crashing halt after the Reds’ suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to the hands of Crystal Palace last weekend.
While too much cannot be read into a single defeat, the poor performance showed that only the arrival of Klopp is unlikely to automatically turn Liverpool into a contender for the Champions League place and that the Reds need to strengthen their side in order to be able to claim the elusive 4th place in the table.
Klopp has insisted that he will look to give the current crop of players at his disposal a chance before splashing the cash in the transfer market but the German manager is said to be already identifying potential targets.
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Xhaka being courted by Liverpool​

Strengthening the midfield will be of paramount importance for Klopp, especially with flop Joe Allen set to be offloaded and now Winner Sports can exclusively reveal that the 48-year old is considering making a move for Borussia Monchengladbach star Granit Xhaka.
Xhaka has emerged as one of the finest midfielders in Europe after joining Monchengladbach back in 2012 from FC Basel and at just 23; many expect the Swiss international to get even better during the coming years.
With Xhaka accruing so much experience at such a young age, it has been no surprise to see a host of clubs courting the services of the midfielder and reports had recently claimed that Arsenal were monitoring the youngster.
Now Winner Sports has understood that even Liverpool have joined in the hunt for Xhaka and to steal a march on Arsenal in the race to sign the Switzerland star, the Reds are planning to make a £20million bid for the 23-year old in January.

 
My main issues with this transfer tidbit is Granit do it on a rainy Wednesday night at Stoke?
 
He is a bit like Matic. Big, strong DM with good tackling skills, decent pace and a powerful shot. The only question mark I have over him is his passing – he likes to spray passes left and right Xabi-style, but unlike Alonso he doesn't seem to be able to calibrate the weight of his passes consistently. A lot of his passes are overhit or underhit and even when they reach their intended target, they are not the easiest ones to control, which slows the attack down.
 
rurikbird said:
He is a bit like Matic. Big, strong DM with good tackling skills, decent pace and a powerful shot. The only question mark I have over him is his passing – he likes to spray passes left and right Xabi-style, but unlike Alonso he doesn't seem to be able to calibrate the weight of his passes consistently. A lot of his passes are overhit or underhit and even when they reach their intended target, they are not the easiest ones to control, which slows the attack down.
Click to expand...
Is he a proper DM then rurik? I was under the impression he was more a holding player than DM, and needed someone alongside him to do the defensive work.

Or can he do that himself?
 
dmishra said:
Is he a proper DM then rurik? I was under the impression he was more a holding player than DM, and needed someone alongside him to do the defensive work.

Or can he do that himself?
Click to expand...

Yes, of course he is a "proper" DM. He is currently playing alongside a 19-year-old Syrian (!) Dahoud, who is more of a Gündogan type and plays further forward. Xhaka is the one who drops in between the CBs to distribute the ball, starts most attacks and does most of the defensive work: patrolling the area in front of the CBs, sprinting forward when there is an opportunity to press and win the ball, covering for full-backs or centre-backs when they get caught out of position. Maybe when he was younger he needed someone alongside to protect him, but now he is essentially the one doing the "protecting."

Like I said, there is a lot to like and we do very much need a player of that type – someone who combines the qualities of a DM and playmaker. My only concern is that his passing is visually less precise and consistent than you would expect of a playmaker of highest caliber, someone like Alonso. And maybe discipline – already twice this season he was dismissed for a 2nd yellow.

This video is good because it gives a pretty accurate sense of his playing style, both defensive and offensive, within less than 3 minutes:

 
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rurikbird said:
Yes, of course he is a "proper" DM. He is currently playing alongside a 19-year-old Syrian (!) Dahoud, who is more of a Gündogan type and plays further forward. Xhaka is the one who drops in between the CBs to distribute the ball, starts most attacks and does most of the defensive work: patrolling the area in front of the CBs, sprinting forward when there is an opportunity to press and win the ball, covering for full-backs or centre-backs when they get caught out of position. Maybe when he was younger he needed someone alongside to protect him, but now he is essentially the one doing the "protecting."

Like I said, there is a lot to like and we do very much need a player of that type – someone who combines the qualities of a DM and playmaker. My only concern is that his passing is visually less precise and consistent than you would expect of a playmaker of highest caliber, someone like Alonso. And maybe discipline – already twice this season he was dismissed for a 2nd yellow.

This video is good because it gives a pretty accurate sense of his playing style, both defensive and offensive, within less than 3 minutes:

Click to expand...


That left foot reminds me of Riise, I like what I saw there.
 
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