Granit Xhaka believes he's having the best season of his career | OneFootball

Granit Xhaka says there are two reasons why he feels he’s currently in the form of his life.

Xhaka joined Arsenal from Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer of 2016, but his first two seasons at the club were largely underwhelming.

However, the Switzerland international has come on leaps and bounds this term and has been a big reason why the Gunners have strung together a 16-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

“It’s definitely my best season so far,” he told Swiss outlet Aargauer Zeitung.

“Without doubt, I think I took another step forward.

“It was a great sign that the club extended my contract prematurely, until 2023. That was before the World Cup and it was a huge sign of how much they appreciate me. I realised, ‘Aha, I’m very important to the club.’

“And then, of course, Unai Emery is an important reason. I didn’t have contact with him until after the World Cup. When I returned for pre-season training, he told me, ‘Granit, you’re one of my five captains.’ It’s one of the top ten clubs in the world, so that makes you proud and gives you confidence.”

In recent games, Xhaka has been forced to move out of midfield and fill in at left-back in the absence of Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolašinac, and the 26-year-old says he’s happy to play wherever Emery needs him to.

“He [Emery] just wants to create competition for Ricardo Rodríguez in the national team,” he joked.

“This is really a matter of trust. He asked me, ‘Granit, can you do that?” I said, ‘Yes, why not, although I’ve never played that before.’ Then suddenly I was at left-back.”

In fact, Xhaka can’t speak highly enough of Emery, and he feels the Spanish tactician’s pre-match preparations are the secret to Arsenal’s success this season.

“It’s the best it’s been at Arsenal since I came to this club,” he said.

“The coach has had an enormous influence. He prepares us all superbly. We have a plan. We know how to implement it with the ball and without the ball. We know how, when and where to stand.

“Emery is like Lucien Favre, a freak who pushes us back and forth, ten times until everyone understands what they are doing.”

“The first video analysis follows right after the game. And then it goes on every day. 30 minutes of video on the game day after breakfast – and then again, before we go to the game.”