da heads bet： After playing a pivotal role in a flawless Bundesliga triumph, the 31-year-old is now perfectly placed to make more history with his country

da 888casino： Switzerland's 3-0 loss to Italy at Euro 2020 has long bothered Granit Xhaka. He felt his team failed to turn up for the group game in Rome. Last weekend was different, though. Last weekend, Switzerland didn't just take to the field at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, they made it their own private playground, dumping the defending champions out of Euro 2024 with the most dominant of 2-0 wins.

"I have never seen the Azzurri in such difficulty on the field as against us," Xhaka enthused after the last-16 showdown in Berlin – and with no shortage of justification. "We won even before going on the pitch, just as they did with us three years ago. They were scared."

One wonders if England will be feeling a little fearful themselves right now, because despite picking up a minor adductor injury against Italy, Xhaka is expected to start against the Three Lions in Saturday's quarter-final clash in Dusseldorf, which means that there is a very real chance that a player in the form of his life will deliver another midfield masterclass on the biggest stage.

'In Granit we trust'

One Switzerland supporter showed off a poster during the dismantling of Italy that read, "In Granit we trust." And why wouldn't they? Xhaka is not just proving himself a great leader at Euro 2024; he's also proving himself a great player. Indeed, he's been one of the best central midfielders on show in Germany, alongside Toni Kroos and Rodri.

He's already claimed two Player of the Match awards, after Switzerland's 3-1 win over Hungary and the 1-1 draw with Germany, taking his overall Euros tally to five – only Andres Iniesta and Cristiano Ronaldo have claimed more (six apiece).

His most impressive performance to date, though, came against Italy.

AdvertisementGetty Xhaka's 'positive' passing

For an awfully long time, Xhaka was renowned for his more destructive qualities: making interceptions, winning crunching tackles, hoovering up loose balls. However, it was telling after the opening-round win over Hungary, Xhaka said his focus is on helping his team "by being positive" – and he's unquestionably delivering in that regard.

Working wonderfully well in tandem with Remo Freuler, and within what is a dynamic, disciplined and well-drilled Swiss side, Xhaka is dictating games and constantly putting his team on the front foot with his swift and precise use of the ball.

Against the Azzurri, no other player on the pitch had more touches (101), completed more passes (94/98) or created more chances (three). Even more significantly, he made a whopping 25 line-breaking passes – a single-game tally that only Kroos has bettered so far this summer.

Getty Alonso's special six

Of course, anyone who watched Bayer Leverkusen last season will be unsurprised by Xhaka's excellence at the Euros. The German outfit made several astute signings last summer, but Xhaka's arrival from Arsenal was utterly integral to their historic domestic double.

Under Mikel Arteta at the Emirates, Xhaka was deployed in more of an advanced role, like a box-to-box No.8, but fellow Spaniard Xabi Alonso saw the Swiss as a No.6 and made him the fulcrum of his team.

Xhaka may not have dominated the headlines last season in the same way as Florian Wirtz, for example. He didn't even register a single assist across the unbeaten Bundesliga campaign, but absolutely everything Leverkusen did went through Xhaka.

(C)Getty Images'I have come to lead'

Alonso didn't just want Xhaka for his play-making skills, though. His character was also key. Alonso had an abundance of promising players at his disposal in Leverkusen; what he needed was someone with experience and an insatiable will to win. Consequently, he saw Xhaka as an "essential" addition to his relatively young squad.

"I also think that Granit had a vital need [to change] after his time in London, where he spent seven years," Alonso explained. "I motivated him to return [to Germany] to take on a different role, and he did so with a different level of maturity, saying, 'I have not come to follow anymore; I have come to lead.'"

He did exactly that at Leverkusen – and now he's doing likewise with Switzerland.