Wenger explains how Xhaka and Elneny contributed against West Ham

Arsene Wenger has praised the Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny partnership and explained how they contributed to Arsenal’s style of playing in the victory over West Ham, arsenal.com reports.

Xhaka and Elneny ran 22.5 km and attempted 191 passes between them in what looked like a much-needed solid performance in the middle of the park.

“That fact that the speed of our passing [was there].” Wenger said. “In the heart of the game, it is not only the quality of the passing but the speed of our passing that is needed for the way we want to play, because we have quick strikers so it’s important that we feed them quickly.

“On that front, the quality, the speed of the decision making becomes very important.

“I must say that our passing was quite good [in the West Ham game], our combinations were good and the continuity of our concentration defensively during the 90 minutes was very positive.”

Elneny started the season well but was eventually ousted by Francis Coquelin in February and March while Xhaka had found it hard to convince Wenger that he had fully adapted to the Premier League.

Their partnership during the West Ham game, however, seemed to solve Wenger’s problem in midfield as it gave Arsenal more attacking options and control of the middle.

It remains to be seen whether Wenger will opt to leave things unchanged for tonight’s game against Crystal Palace.