Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka did not take
kindly to the decision to substitute him on
Sunday against Crystal Palace, and appeared
to tell home fans to “f*ck off” as he left the
pitch in a huff.
Xhaka who wore the armband for this weekend’s
clash at the Emirates Stadium, with little sign
early on that the afternoon would take a
downward turn.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos and David Luiz both
scored inside the first 10 minutes to send Unai
Emery’s men on the way to what looked set to
be a comfortable win.
Palace, however, had other ideas, hitting back
through Luka Milivojevic and Jordan Ayew to
level the scoreline at 2-2 at the start of the
second half.
Xhaka’s game ended minutes later when he
was withdrawn for teenager Bukayo Saka, but
the Switzerland international had no intention
of going quietly.
The midfielder cupped his ear to the Emirates
faithful and waved his arms, while apparently
mouthing “f*ck off” to fans after supporters
reacted to his substitution by cheering.
He then disappeared straight down the tunnel,
having already thrown his shirt to the floor.
Xhaka was elected captain in September
through a now infamous blind ballot among
Arsenal players, a decision that has attracted
criticism in certain circles.
Former Gunners star Emmanuel Petit is one
observer who has not held back in his opinion
of the midfielder.
“Can you imagine Patrick Vieira on the pitch
on Monday night? He would have been
shouting at his team-mates, asking them:
‘What the f*ck are you doing?’” Petit told
Paddy Power following Monday’s reverse at
the hands of Sheffield United.
“I don’t see that with Xhaka. I do with
Guendouzi – he’s one of the few who shows
he wants to win every game. He’s got a lion’s
heart.
“Guendouzi is relied upon a lot by [Unai]
Emery, and that’s because he’s showing anger
on the pitch. He hates to lose games, you can
see that he’s ready to fight for every single
ball. He plays to his strengths and he does
that well.
“That’s more than you can say for some of the
other midfielders. Can anyone tell me what is
Xhaka’s best quality? I don’t know why he has
been made captain. The leadership is absent.”
Young-po Reporters 