Cech vs Xhaka - Our weakest link?

[1989]

Vote away.

[rodders999]

Helmet head 100% and that’s coming from someone who despises them both.

Thing is no matter the team, no matter the level and no matter how good the outfield 10 players are if you have a shit keeper you are guaranteed to fail. You can just about carry a piss poor outfield player in a good side but no way can you compensate for a dud keeper.

[SydneyGooner]

Has to be Cech. He's been in decline since 2012. I think Xhaka could potentially be very good if he played next to Torreira or as part of a midfield three with Torreira and Guendouzi behind him. At 25 he still has room for improvement IMO whereas helmet's been finished as a top class keeper for about 5 years now.

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Ramsey

[augie]

Cech no doubt about it - I could (and maybe should) go into a long rant explaining why he should be the first to go, but rodders and sydney gooner have already summed up my feelings

[falkirk goon]

A pair of ringpieces who should be nowhere near our first team.Cech is the bigger pile of shite of the pair though, like Rodders says you can't carry a keeper who is a dud and Helmet head is a grade A one of those.

[northbank123]

I think that Xhaka is the worse player. Complete fraud masquerading at this level.

But if I could ensure that one of them didn’t play another game this year it would be Cech, predominantly because a keeper has the capacity to cost you more points than a centre mid.

[northbank123]

Also sad that Mustafi doesn’t even feature in a head to head of biggest liability.

[Jock Gooner]

Has to be Cech. He's been in decline since 2012. I think Xhaka could potentially be very good if he played next to Torreira or as part of a midfield three with Torreira and Guendouzi behind him. At 25 he still has room for improvement IMO whereas helmet's been finished as a top class keeper for about 5 years now.

I agree that Cech is the weaker link out of the two of them simply because he is the keeper. In his favour though is the fact that at one time he was a top class keeper however I am pretty certain that Xhaka will still be dog shit by the time he is 36. I do admire your optimism though

[Yankee_Gooner_Dandee]

Xhaka for me 100%. Cech at least is still a decent shot stopper. Granit fuckwit can't do ANYTHING useful unless you're the opposing team.

[CloakedGooner]

Definitely Cech. I think Xhaka is very unfairly judged and is a lot better than some people make out. Stick Torreira next to him, and I think we will see a world class player in him with the right partner in midfield

[1989]

Also sad that Mustafi doesn’t even feature in a head to head of biggest liability.

I'm as harsh a critic of Mustafi as anyone, but I reckon he's been one of our best players so far this season.

[DB10GOONER]

Definitely Cech. I think Xhaka is very unfairly judged and is a lot better than some people make out. Stick Torreira next to him, and I think we will see a world class player in him with the right partner in midfield

I have no words.

[DB10GOONER]

For me Xhaka is and always will be shit. He has decent technique but absolutely zero intelligence.

But Cech is the more dangerous to us. Xhaka cost us an avoidable goal on Sunday but Cech's "slow motion falling over" has cost us numerous avoidable goals.

Cech is a proper liability now. Especially if we persist with this suicidal playing tippy tappy on the goal line. He looks like a new born baby trying to control a football ffs. He also very obviously scares the living shit out of his own defenders.

[GranadaJoe]

I was really happy when we signed Xhaka. Six foot plus, strong, international etc. The new Petit?

However, his first season was mediocre at best. But I wasn't forlorn because it was his first season and some players need time to adjust.

However, he's actually got worse. His positioning is poor, his movement off the ball is almost non-existent. His passing is slow and usually sideways. The occasional long diagonal pass shouldn't hide the fact that his passing is not incisive. I thought he would be a strong tackler, but he's not. Too slow and/or lazy to track back, he'll just chop the player down and get himself booked. And worst of all, when the opposition break, he'll trot back oblivious to, or unconcerned by, all the opposition players flooding past him into our box.

Cech is way past it, but he has pulled off many brilliant saves and some of the criticism has been way OTT. He was described as the worst keeper in the PL when Karius and Mignolet were playing for the Victims and Gomes for Watford.

I think we would see a much better team performance if we swopped Xhaka for Torreira than we would swapping Cech for Leno, though I want to see both changes.

Therefore, Xhaka gets my vote.