Arsenal arguably have one of their biggest Premier League games of the season this weekend as they take on their north London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, at the Emirates.
Their previous league game saw the league leaders secure a comfortable 3-0 win over Brentford away from home.
In terms of what Mikel Arteta’s starting XI could look like to take on the Lilywhites, one figure that we feel the Gunners boss should have no doubts about starting is Granit Xhaka.
Having started all seven of Arsenal’s league games so far in this campaign, only two other outfield players have racked up more minutes than the midfielder, which shows how reliant Arteta is on him.
Across those appearances, the 30-year-old has racked up the third-highest number of key passes (17) and shot-creating actions (26) at the club, showcasing how useful he can be going forward.
He also has the third-highest number of clearances (12) and blocks (10) in Arteta’s squad, which shows how capable he is of doing the defensive work as well.
Having been described as a “dangerous” player by Ian Wright, that’s exactly what Xhaka could be when coming up against Antonio Conte’s side.
This all shows how capable the midfielder is of not only being an attacking threat but also being able to snuff out any danger from the opponents, making him a real candidate to be the one to dominate the match.
Bearing in mind how there has been some concern over the fitness of Thomas Partey after he made an early return from international duty during the recent break, having Xhaka fit and firing could be just what Arteta needs to see his side have a strong chance of securing a victory over their rivals.
Moving forward, with only one point separating the two north London teams as things stand, keeping the £100k-per-week midfielder in the starting XI should be one of the easier decisions Arteta will have to make heading into this big game.
