Vieira lauds ‘fire’ of Arsenal star as Fabregas explains how tactical change has helped him thrive

Arsenal legends Patrick Vieira and Cesc Fabregas were full of praise of Granit Xhaka after the Gunners swept Chelsea aside at the Emirates on Tuesday.

Mikel Arteta’s side went back to the top of the Premier League as they arrested a run of four games without a win with a comfortable 3-1 victory over the Blues.

Martin Odegaard scored a brace but it was Xhaka, who assisted both of the Arsenal captain’s goals that impressed Vieira and Fabregas most, with both of the ex-Gunners lauding his now controlled aggression.

“Listen, I don’t want him to change,” said Vieira, working as a pundit for Sky Sports. “This fire, the team needs it and he needs it as a player. He is a top player. I had a chance to spend a bit of time with him off the field and he loves this football club.

“He is passionate on the field and that passion, he needs to share it around with the other players to take as well more responsibility. I hope that fire inside him, he will keep it, because that makes him as a player.”

Fabregas highlighted how Xhaka had matured, also attributing his turnaround to a slight positional change.

“I think he’s got the same passion but he’s not rash like before,” he added. “He’s not committing into challenges he cannot win.

“He doesn’t need to track as much as a low midfielder, he’s got cover, he’s much more protected so he has this licence to go forward with a bit more of a free head knowing that he doesn’t need to be the last man sometimes.

“He’s not the fastest player so sometimes he was struggling against fast players in the Premier League so I think that this has helped him as well mentally.”

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After the game, Xhaka said he believes his aggression is key to his game.

“I don’t want to lose the other part that I have, because this is what brought me here,” he said. “But of course, I have to be a little but more calm.

“With experience, and with age, you learn as well. I’m looking different but I do still have the other part as well.”