Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka put forth another solid effort and no one is saying anything about it. Is it just easier to ignore his growing prowess?

Every so often, when I really feel like an Arsenal player is getting shortchanged, I go on one of these rants. Normally it involves Olivier Giroud, but as he has had too little of an impact in recent matches due to a lack of playing time, this rant is dedicated to Granit Xhaka. And while I just went on a similar one about why he is absolutely not the worst signing ever, this one is more than that.

This one is about how he can now indisputably be heralded for doing a good job.

The Swiss midfielder had himself yet another solid performance and yet again, no one wants to talk about it. Even with the Gunners looking sluggish against Middlesbrough, Xhaka held his own, just like he did against Crystal Palace.

And because sometimes the only way to prove a point is with numbers, that is exactly how I intend to do it. Although, it must be stated that Xhaka isn’t exactly a stat collector. He is a controller and distribution center that an entire club can be build around if they have the right pieces.

More on that later.

For right now, let’s get digging into the three reasons why Xhaka deserves some credit, especially pertaining to these last three games.

We start with No. 3.

3. Creating Chances

There was a very specific purpose behind Xhaka’s signing. It wasn’t to win then ball back or create chances. It was to add a little strength to the midfield and provide a deep-lying passer capable of spraying the ball all over the pitch.

Now that that passing ability is truly coming out, created chances are coming as well. Xhaka is finding space to get forward and the airwaves are always open over the top, which is his specialty.

Over the past three matches, Xhaka has created eight chances and completed 27 long balls, both of which are better than every one else on the team in those three games by a long shot. In created chances, Alexis and Mesut Ozil, our two golden boys who everyone drools over, have only accumulated five each, and all of Ozil’s came in the lopsided West Ham match.

So he’s passing accurately, passing incisively and doing his job. Check those off the list of why he deserves some damn credit.

On to the next.