Xhaka or Jorginho: Who comes out on top?

In the current football world, the forwards and attacking-minded players earn all the plaudits and recognition.

A key aspect of the game that’s criminally under-rated though, is the midfield role – more particularly the holding midfield role.

They may not dribble through the park, score many goals, if any at all, or give a great number of assists.

But the work-load and creative balance they bring to a team can not be over-emphasized.

A strong “midfield” game is what saw Guardiola take the world by storm with his trademark tiki-taka football. It is this same approach the master tactician has brought to City, conquered England and made his side major European forces as well.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at two holding midfielders with a good knowledge of what the role is all about.

This statistical analysis gives a comparison between Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka and Chelsea’s Jorginho. A detailed look in at their stats will attempt to give an insight to which of the duo comes out on top.

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Defensively

In the defensive aspect, the Brazilian is easily a more credible candidate than his opposite counterpart.

Jorginho’s 2.1 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game positively dwarfs Xhaka’s 1.8 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game.

https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/1133848101863739397

An aspect Xhaka would not want to come out on top is the fact he concedes more fouls per game. The Swiss international’s tendency to make fouls at 1.6 per game is way higher than Jorginho’s 0.9 per game.

https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/1030861878656991232

Perhaps now we know why Arsenal were the team in the top six to concede the most from corner kicks and set pieces(free-kicks as well).

Also, the certain assurance that Xhaka is in line for a yellow card each game put unnecessary anxiety on his game.

No doubt in a defensive setup, Jorginho is by far the better midfielder.

Offensively

Going forward, the Swiss international is much more vindicated.

His 1.4 key passes per game is significantly greater than Jorginho’s 0.8 per game.

https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/1127691053610536960

The amount of shots the 26-year-old dishes out per 90 is more than double that of the Brazilian.

Xhaka’s 1 shot per game compared to Jorginho’s 0.5 is very evident in their goal contributions.

Of course, with a tendency to roam forward, the Swiss’ 4 goals and 2 assists last season is far superior to Jorginho’s 2 goals(one of the goals being a penalty) and 0 assists.

With that in mind, Xhaka is more suitable for an attacking approach and that obviously is why he plays for Arsenal.

Passing Abilities

If you need one of both midfielders to knock the ball around efficiently, Jorginho is definitely your guy.

Xhaka’s 77.4 passes per game and 85% pass accuracy pales significantly to the Brazilian’s 84.3 passes and 89.3% pass accuracy.

An attacking player looking at these stats will probably be rooting for Jorginho as his teammate over the Switzerland international.

Extra Qualities

Granit Xhaka is a “natural” leader and that has been very evident in the course of his career.

At 26, he has captained his former side Borrusia Mönchengladbach and is currently captain of Arsenal, his current side.

On the international scene, he is the current captain of his national side Switzerland as well.

No doubt asides the technical aspect of the game, he is a big impact wherever he goes.

Conclusion

Both midfielders are technically gifted on their days and have an extra edge to what they both offer to a team.

Depending on the approach of the team, both players will be well suited for different gameplays.