Few fancied Arsenal to emerge as genuine title contenders this year - but even fewer people would have predicted Granit Xhaka to be leading the charge for Mikel Arteta's men.
The Swiss midfielder has well and truly come back from the brink during Arteta's premiership. And in recent weeks, Xhaka's game has evolved from chopping down opponents to slicing them open in a new advanced role in Arsenal's engine room.
While Martin Odegaard may officially don the captain's armband in north London, it is Xhaka who has led by example in standout results against Tottenham and Liverpool. However, there was a point towards the end of the first-half of Arsenal's 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven where some of the bad habits that have plagued the 30-year-old threatened to resurface.
