How did Arsenal’s new signing Granit Xhaka get on in Switzerland’s 1-0 win over Albania at Euro 2016? Gunners fans are likely to have been encouraged by what they saw… Swiss edge past 10-man Albania Switzerland got their Euro 2016 campaign off to the perfect start with a 1-0 win over 10-man Albania Since Arsenal announced the signing of Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach, supporters have heard plenty about his leadership qualities - most memorably illustrated by the curious claim that hed received the house keys before his elder brother Taulant. Cheap Colts Jerseys .The build-up to Saturdays Switzerland and Albania game understandably focused on the fact that this brother would be lining up for the opposition. But once the game kicked off, Arsenal fans got some answers to what they really want to know - will he help them win? Switerlands Xhaka was up against brother Taulant, playing for Albania On this evidence, expect there to be a buzz. Arsenals physicality in midfield has been the subject of criticism and not without reason. They ranked among the bottom five for tackles last season, while Leicester and Tottenham were both among the top three tacklers in the Premier League.Xhaka looks capable of changing those numbers. With six red cards in his Gladbach career, theres no questioning his combative approach and a big tackle on Amir Abrashi early on was every bit as aggressive as anything seen by Francis Coquelin in an Arsenal shirt. Xhaka challenge on Albanias Amir Abrashi was particularly strong Just before the 20-minute mark, Xhakas reaction to losing possession was impressive too - pressing one man and then the next in order to win back the ball, eventually robbing his brother before getting up off the ground quickly to build the attack once more.Arsenal legend and Sky Sports pundit Thierry Henry liked what he saw. He showed that he doesnt care whether hes playing against his brother or against his roots, said Henry, covering the game for the BBC. He just wants to win the game. Man of the match Granit Xhaka was named UEFAs official man of the match in Switzerlands win over Albania. Even that brief passage of play was evidence of Xhakas twin talent for tough tackling and positive passing. Indeed, the 23-year-old completed more passes than any other player on the pitch - 101 of them. Nobody else managed more than 70.While there was little wrong with his ball-retention skills, what was particularly striking is that Xhaka looked forwards where possible. He played a game-high six accurate long passes before the break, spraying balls left and right in an attempt to beat Albanias pressing. Switzerland 1 Albania 0 Player Team Completed passes Granit Xhaka Switzerland 101 Fabian Schar Switzerland 70 Valon Behrami Switzerland 62 Haris Seferovic really should have guaranteed Xhaka an assist but he failed to finish chances threaded through to him in the left channel either side of half-time. The midfielders total of three chances created was the joint-most of any player.Tackling and passing. Creativity and presence. The tales of Xhakas character - its emerged that he gives 80 per cent of his salary straight to his parents - will no doubt continue. But this was a welcome reminder that the player can bring plenty to Arsenal on the pitch too. Also See: Swiss edge past 10-man Albania Kante would complete Arsenal Youth Colts Jerseys .com) - Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau has been selected as the NHLs Rookie of the Month for December, the league announced Friday. Zaire Franklin Stitched Jersey .She struggled with a hacking cough, she was sick, and she twice celebrated too early, but she held her composure in a 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory on Saturday.On her third match point, she let her racket go before hearing a let call to what she thought was an ace. http://www.officialcoltsnflauthenticshop.com/ . MLB.com reported that the Dodgers locked the left-hander in for one year at $10 million with up to $4 million in incentives.(SportsNetwork.com) - After a slow start to the season, Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs are starting to look more like the team that began last year with nine straight victories. Hey, just in time for Smiths big homecoming. Smith and the Chiefs try to win a third straight game on Sunday as the former top draft pick makes his return to San Francisco to battle the 49ers at Levis Stadium. Smiths first game against the franchise that drafted him first overall in 2005 has overshadowed a recent hot stretch by the quarterback and the team. Kansas City avoided an 0-3 start by rolling past Miami 34-15 on Sept. 21, then routed the New England Patriots 41-14 this past Monday night. In those two wins, Smith has completed 76.5 percent of his passes and thrown for six touchdowns. He posted a 144.4 passer rating in the victory over the Pats. None of this surprises his former Niners head coach Jim Harbaugh. You know, I have never seen Alex Smith not be good. Right from the time we were with him, how hes playing now. Hes just always been a very good quarterback, noted Harbaugh. Smith was San Franciscos starting quarterback when Harbaugh took over head coaching duties with the franchise in 2011 and the duo made it to the NFC Championship game, where they suffered a loss to the New York Giants. The Smith-led Niners got off to another fast start the following season, with the signal-caller his normally-efficient self over a 6-2 start. However, he suffered a concussion in a tie versus St. Louis in Week 10 and Colin Kaepernick made the start the following week, leading San Francisco to a win over the Chicago Bears. Kaepernick never gave up the job and helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl, where the club suffered a loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Smith was traded to Kansas City during the offseason for two draft picks. Smith helped the Chiefs return to the postseason last year and signed a four- year extension this past offseason. Obviously his first game back in San Francisco would make headlines, but the 30-year-old is more concerned with getting a win. I could care less about the stats and out-dueling anybody, said Smith. And I guess the thing that Im talking about is I know that this is going to be a story and I have to deal with it. Yeah, and going back there and playing against some of those guys that I played with. But theres a lot of unknowns too -- its a different place, different stadium, a lot of new faces there as well in some respects. Its different. It is tough to pinpoint who will be under more pressure in this game: Smith or Kaepernick, who has been very successful under center for the Niners and helped the club avoid a third straight loss with a 26-21 win over Philadelphia last Sunday. Kaepernick threw a pair of touchdown passes, but was sacked four times, intercepted once and completed only 17 of his 30 pass attempts versus the Eagles. One reason he claimed the starting job over Smith was his ability to make the big plays that the play-it-safe Smith seemed to avoid. The two now go head-to-head this weekend, but as Kaepernick pointed out wont be directly facing each other on the field. I really dont get to face him, our defense does. But, Alex has done a lot of great things in this league. Hes done a lot of great things to help me. Nothing but the utmost respect for him, he said. At 2-2, both the Chiefs and 49ers are third in their respective division. Kansas City is set to play two in a row on the road, visiting San Diego on Oct. 19 following a bye, while San Francisco visits St. Louis and Denver following this game. Kansas City is visiting San Francisco for the first time since 2002 and has lost four in a row as the visiting team in this series. The Chiefs last beat the Niners as the road team in the two clubs first ever meeting in 1971. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Smith will look to be extra precise in this game, a trait that led to him throwing for 14,280 yards and 81 touchdowns in 75 starts with the Niners over eight seasons from 2005-12. In his last three games, Smith has completed 69.9 percent of his passes and has not been intercepted. That gives the signal-caller a 112.7 passer rating over that span, but Harbaughh doesnt expect his former quarterback to just play it safe this weekend. Throwback Colts Jerseys. Not an accurate term. Hes a football player, Harbaugh said when asked if Smith is simply a game manager. Smith was helped on Monday night by the return of running back Jamaal Charles from a sprained right ankle and the play of tight end Travis Kelce. Charles ran the ball 18 times for 92 yards with a score and also caught a pair of touchdown passes, while Kelce set career highs with eight catches for 93 yards. He also caught a TD pass. Kansas Citys offense thrives when Charles touches the football, either on the ground or in the passing game. Hes a unique player and obviously extremely talented and can do so many different things. ... When you have a weapon like that, you can do run and pass and mix it up, its obviously extremely helpful, said Smith. Smith and Charles go up against a Niners defense that ranks second in total (287.3 yards per game) and run defense (69.8 YPG). San Francisco held Philadelphia to only 22 yards rushing last weekend, the ninth fewest allowed in a single game in franchise history. The 49ers have yielded just 152 total rushing yards over the past three games despite missing linebackers Navarro Bowman and Aldon Smith. Linebacker Patrick Willis leads the team with 23 tackles and defensive tackle Justin Smith has three sacks on the year as well as five over his past seven games. Their front seven is a tough unit, noted Chiefs head coach Andy Reid of the Niners. Big physical guys, the linebackers can run. I would say that their defense is one of the top defenses out there right now. So we need to make sure we prepare for a good bunch of players there and thats what well do. Kansas City has had its own success on defense, ranking eighth against the pass (221.5 YPG) and eight in points allowed (19.8 PPG). The Chiefs are one of just two teams to not give up a rushing touchdown this season and had three takeaways versus the Patriots, including a pick-six by safety Husain Abdullah. Linebacker Justin Houston had two sacks versus New England and became the second-fastest player in team history to reach 30 for his career. He did so in 47 games, behind only Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas, who hit the plateau in 31 games. While Kaepernick is engineering just the leagues 22nd-ranked pass attack, the Niners are rushing for 138.5 yards per game and will try to maintain that success this weekend. Running back Frank Gore totaled 119 yards on 24 carries versus the Eagles, but also caught a 55-yard touchdown pass from Kaepernick. Kaepernick himself ran for 58 yards, marking the first time in his career he has run for 50-plus yards in three straight games. That is one thing that perhaps separates him from Smith, but Harbaugh wont rate the two against each other. Never been a big fan of comparisons. Colins play has spoken for itself, he said. San Francisco is hoping to have two key pieces of its offense for this game. Right tackle Anthony Davis made his season debut versus the Eagles, but left late in the first quarter with a left knee injury, while talented tight end Vernon Davis was forced out in the third due to a back injury. Neither practiced on Wednesday and their status is unknown. OVERALL ANALYSIS There is a lot of similarities between these clubs, with the Chiefs perhaps having the slight edge on offense and the Niners possessing the better defense. Does that make the Smith-Kaepernick battle the x-factor? If so, Smith will need to make sure he sticks to what he does well and doesnt try to do too much versus his former team. You focus in on what you do. All the distractions, going home and all that -- it doesnt mean anything, said Reid. Youre there to play the game and once youve said hi to your buddies its over. Youre playing the game, thats what youre doing. San Francisco showed a little Smith influence versus the Eagles by holding the ball for just over 42 minutes in the game, but the Chiefs move at a much slower pace than Philadelphia. That means mistakes must be kept to a minimum and that should give Smith the edge over the flashier Kaepernick. Sports Network predicted outcome: Chiefs 24, 49ers 21 Cheap Steelers Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Cheap Bills Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Cheap Bears Jerseys Cheap Eagles Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Cheap Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys ' ' '