Granit Xhaka: Leverkusen's unsung key

Xhaka’s importance to that Werkself team was demonstrated beyond any doubt in the 2024 DFB Cup Final. After a surprisingly even start against a spirited Kaiserslautern side, Alonso's main man stepped up to slam a loose ball into the top corner from 20 yards out in a stunning winner befitting the occasion of sealing a double success.

The Swiss midfielder’s playing time in the Bundesliga alone had shown just how highly Alonso valued him. The 31-year-old started 32 league fixtures in the title-winning 2023/24 season, missing one through suspension and only failing to be selected from the outset on the final day with the title long since sealed.

Xhaka made his mark on Leverkusen from the moment he joined in summer 2023 from Arsenal. But what exactly did he bring to that double-winning squad?

Watch: The best of Xhaka with Bayer 04

Always available

Any time a Bayer player was unsure what to do with the ball, they had one simple option: pass it to Granit. When Leverkusen were on the ball, the central midfielder was always on the move, head on a swivel, forever out of reach of the opposition. Even when opponents tried to man-mark him, Xhaka always found gaps with quick passes that released his teammates.

Switzerland’s captain and most capped player actually revelled in being at the heart of the opposition’s covering triangle. It had a big advantage in that he drew attention to himself once the ball came into him, therefore opening up several options to pass it on to free teammates.

Xhaka was always open to receive the ball, and Leverkusen played through him more than any other player in the entire Bundesliga. He had 2,893 touches of the ball over the first 25 matchdays, which was some 600 more than the next best player in the division at that time, VfB Stuttgart's Waldemar Anton (2,252) - who has since moved to Borussia Dortmund.

Xhaka loved to feel the pressure

If you receive the ball a lot, then you also need to know how to move it on. Xhaka was again the master here in Leverkusen's title-winning campaign, finishing only behind former teammate Jonathan Tah - now at Bayern Munich - in terms of his division-wide pass success rate (92.72 per cent).

The tireless Xhaka was also third best in the Bundesliga in terms of distance covered (372.2km), and all from the centre of the pitch.

Cool under pressure like few others in football, Xhaka was the missing piece at the heart of Leverkusen’s play who was capable of dealing with the strong pressing game famed in Germany.

"Bayer 04 signed me to stabilise this young team,” Xhaka said in his first interview with his new club’s official media. “I’ll try and do that on every level, also mentally. I don’t want to play dad or the boss. But everyone must be clear that you have to work hard to be successful.”

The Swiss star was true to his word there. Prior to Xhaka's arrival, Leverkusen had the duo of Exequiel Palacios and Robert Andrich in the centre, with both boasting escape rates (how often they are able to retain possession for their team when pressurised) of 63 and 62 per cent respectively. The pair stepped that up to 72 and 73 percent respectively in the first 25 matches of 2023/24 thanks to the fact that they then had Xhaka alongside them as a constant outlet.

The former Borussia Mönchengladbach man boasted an excellent escape rate himself of 79 per cent, no shock to hear that that was the highest in the division at one stage.

Coming back to those triangles that Xhaka moved in, which helped to increase pressure with three opponents in proximity. Only Florian Wirtz and Chris Führich found themselves pressurised more often in the Bundesliga in 2023/24, but both played in more attacking roles.

Available doesn’t always mean a direct pass

Despite all that, it wasn't always possible to play the ball directly to Xhaka. Clever opponents shadowed him when they looked to press his teammates. The Switzerland international would then try and move into an area behind the pressing player. That didn't always work, like one time against Bayern Munich when two players in Harry Kane and Sacha Boey covered the potential pass.

But this is where the most important tactical aspect of Alonso’s system came into play. The so-called ‘third-man passes’, which means playing the ball via an intermediary. Leverkusen often looked to pass around corners. Again, this was down to Xhaka’s clever positioning, moving between opponents so he could be found.

For example below, against Bayern, Josip Stanišić played the ball forward to Nathan Tella. He layed it off to Xhaka, who recognised that Bayern’s pressing of the ball had opened up space. He quickly laid it off to Piero Hincapié and the attack progressed. One ball later and Wirtz was one-on-one with Manuel Neuer.

The full repertoire

The sight of Xhaka with the ball at his feet always set alarm bells ringing for the opposition. He was about far more than just moving the ball on, like to Hincapié against Bayern. The Swiss midfielder could play pretty much any type of pass, including those over the top, like when he set Patrik Schick away against Augsburg, only for the striker to come up short against Finn Dahmen.

There was also his excellent creativity on the edge of the box. He was able to chip the ball over the back line, like he did for Wirtz against Wolfsburg when he hit the post. Remarkably, Xhaka didn't register an assist in the Bundesliga that season. He did, however, score three goals with his debut strike coming against against Mainz on Matchday 23 – one of 28 shots he had attempted to that point.

It's as the man who plays the assist to the assister that he really shone. Only Jamal Musiala was more efficient in this aspect and Xhaka creating a Wirtz goal against Stuttgart with his through ball to Victor Boniface or his lofted pass on Matchday 3 to Alejandro Grimaldo to head into the path of Boniface to score were reminders of what the Swiss was capable of.

The transition and closing gaps

It wasn't only in possession where the Swiss metronome proved himself a priceless asset. He instilled greater stability in that triumphant Leverkusen team when defending transitions. His reading of the game allowed him to spot a potential counter and to close the gap early.

It was his understanding of the play that saw the Werkself remain solid with four men covering in many situations instead of the 3-2 or 2-3 covering of five defenders that many clubs used to shore up. It allowed midfield partner Palacios the freedom to be more involved in attack.

We saw another prime example of that on Matchday 25 in 2023/24. First, he was the creator in midfield with a pass into Wirtz in the half space. His attempt to play it on wasn’t successful, and immediately Xhaka cut off the space to former Wolfsburg striker Kevin Behrens, making him unavailable for a potential transition.

When Tiago Tomás then brought the ball forward up the inside left, Xhaka moved away from the striker to press Tomás, still keeping Behrens covered, and dispossessed the Wolfsburg forward. He saw the danger and nipped it in the bud quickly.  

Granit Xhaka: Xabi Alonso 2.0

Xhaka’s influence on play made his coach, in particular, very happy. That’s not just because Alonso and his team benefitted hugely as a result, but because Alonso saw a lot of himself as a player in how Xhaka went about things on the pitch.

In his playing days, Alonso would often drop deeper between centre-backs and dictate play from there, but that was down to how his teams played. When Xhaka was asked to do the same, he would do it to the same exceptional standard.

It was therefore no surprise to hear that Xhaka was working towards his UEFA A Licence at Union Nettetal, around an hour away from Leverkusen. There, hiw training sessions were very much reminiscent of how Alonso instructs his Werkself team.

Watch: Xhaka the coach

Although Xhaka probably doesn’t have any intentions of going into a dugout in the Bundesliga or elsewhere just yet, there’s huge similarities in how both he and current Real Madrid coach Alonso worked on the pitch. For now, the memories of what the two footballing masters brought to Leverkusen in 2023/24 will live long in the thoughts of all those who experienced it.

Niklas Staiger