Unai Emery and Granit Xhaka set for talks following meltdown.
The reactions of Granit Xhaka towards Arsenal fans after he was substituted at the weekend has continued to generate problems for the Swiss midfielder.
Xhaka cupped his ears and said some expletives towards the fans at the Emirates on Sunday. That could be the point where his career with Arsenal hits a brick wall.
Unai Emery admitted that the midfielder was wrong and seems to have taken sides with the club’s supporters.
Reports in the media claim that the club is set to hold showdown talks with the midfielder over his future after his latest episode.
Xhaka is surprisingly popular among his teammates and remains one of the most respected players in the club’s dressing room. He was chosen by his teammates to be captain earlier in the season to the surprise of fans.
It is unclear at the moment if the club will succumb to pressure and take the captain’s armband away from him.
One thing that is clear is that his teammates are in support of him, Hector Bellerin tweeted after the game.
“To be united is the start; to keep united is a progress; but to work together and united, will lead us to success. Let’s go boys! Together we can make it!”
I don’t really care about Bellerin’s comments. There’s excessive nepotism in football teams and whilst that’s OK in a winning team, it’s disastrous when you need to be ruthless. There’s isn’t a standout leader in our current group and that’s the problem. Xhaka May well be the players choice but that’s based on who is there to choose from. We’d be better with a player like Milner, Sisoko, Magic who can not only do the role better than Xhaka but can also show some leadership on the pitch to inspire the players around them.
Hmm..
To be United” and be playing out of pattern.
This guys are jokers..
Emery has to bench him at the very least, to lower the temp before it boils over.
Ozil and Mustafi benched for underperforming, but will Emery continue to play someone who tells fans to f-off?
Hypocrisy incoming from Emery.
I agree Durand. He does need to be benched. But, you have to ask, why are so many players continuing to under-perform? It’s like a disease..
When you look at the like of City and Liverpool you see everyone working hard for the ball and for each other. This is why they are winners. I see it at Leicester. When you look at player scores in the media on a Monday you see an average score of 8 for for individual players in these teams. When you look at Arsenal’s player ratings you mostly get an average 5 with the odd 7 – 8 for someone like Auba for example. This is a trend at Arsenal. Average. Nothing special. The club needs something or someone special to break the mould and get the best out of this team.
If the team believe, the crowd will believe. That is the biggest element missing right now I feel. There just doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel and we all feel very low as fans. What will it take for things to change after such a long time? Maybe a change in where we want to be at the end of the season? Why settle for 4th? If that is the mentality these players have and 4th will do, we will never move forward and that has been the mentality for suck a long time now!!
GunneRay look at the teams you mention. Liverpool has a style and identity; even when Klopp first arrived you could see how he expected his team to play with and without the ball.
Everyone knows Pep likes the tiki-taka style, and go and get the ball back when you lose it. He expects movement and passing from his players.
What about Emery? Anyone know how he wants his team to play? He changes that like he changes his underware; players confused, fans confused, I think even Emery is confused.
Emery has shown he has no style, there is no longer any question. Now some are beginning to question his substance. Letting players pick the captain? Basically a popularity contest now. With Xhaka’s outburst, I’ve read Emery is discussing what to do with Xhaka and captaincy with the players. Wow, what a spineless and gutless move.
IF that is true, then sack him now. He is the coach, FFS act like it.
Let bygones be bygones and let us look at the larger and more important picture. The situation is such now that someone should do something to stem the rot. Whther it is to advise a particular player, the coach or something else, someone has to do something. Belarin is perfectly right in saying that we should remain united. We are the Arsenal, a club with proud history and rich tradition. Players come and go, coaches come and go, but everyone involved should ensure that the richness in terms of game playing style, the Arsenal brand and way of possession football built over decades should never be sacrificed. Cmon Gunners go for it!
👍 Spot on gunnerforlife. Support the Club, coach and players through difficult times:
“Victoria Concordia Crescit”
Why would you support a coach who is dragging the club into the gutter ?
I know let’s wait till the end of the season because he deserves it ,and by that time it will be to late ,players will want to leave and we will be back to square one ,I don’t see how on earth you can keep coming out with excuses for this bloke .
Dan
Only the board can make the decision on replacing the manager and looking at there past record they dont make decisions quickly.
Maybe they think with the past investment in new recruits for UE will mean a new man will want his own personnel which means some new recruits are not in the new managers plans ..who knows
But back to your question on why support the manager
We support the team and the manager for now is part of that set up like it or hate it
The fans made worse mistake by booin their player.
If there was ever a moment to change the captain then this is it
He has been playing poorly for ever in a day. Was the Wrong decision to have appointmented him captain
If this dosent force UE hand for change then nothing will.
It’s either change and buy a bit more time or if he backs xhaka then it will be his downfall and the tic tack very soon in the near future and before all you UE start bashing him. I would prefer change but in the other side I want him to do well because if he does well the team do well and we all feel well…until the next out campaign…onwards and upwards fellow gooners
The xhaka situation is all on emery. Fans should have patience but enough is enough and we have the right to show our displeasure AS LONG AS it doesn’t disgustingly spread off field like Wenger and mustafi.
Xhaka isn’t suited for arsenal playstyle and was underperforming even before emery was appointed yet emery makes him the captain and plays him every time even if his form is awful.
If emery has the balls to freeze ozil out because he is unwanted by emery then fans would expect him to freeze xhaka because he is unwanted by the fans.
The fans need to cop on. Bunch of spoilt gits. And social media has turned just about everyone of them into fake wannabe tyrannts… Can dish it out but get all up in their feelins when it hits back at em.
He should be benched for a few weeks so the situation cools off.
Ultimately it’s partially Emery’s fault for playing him so often and giving him the captain’s armband even though he doesn’t seem to inspire his teammates (despite themselves having chosen him. Or did they vote for him precisely for that reason – because they didn’t want anyone with any actual authority?)
Emery has to play Xhaka. Otherwise the Gunners would be upset if Xhaka doesn’t play, since Xhaka is their favorite captain
Your theory could be true as well. I’m waiting for the positive effect of replacing Xhaka
He must be stripped of captaincy.Leadership is action and not just ordinarily a position.As the leader of the pack,he has fail to lead by example.But why do I have the feeling that emery will massage his ego by finding a way to defend his actions and still captaining the team in subsequent matches.
Emery has to play Xhaka. Otherwise the Gunners would be upset if Xhaka doesn’t play, since Xhaka is their favorite captain
Your theory could be true as well. I’m waiting for the positive effect of replacing Xhaka
Granit Xhaka is right to defead himself and for me,Unai Emery should be sack after the game against Liverpooj
Xhaka needs a break and spending time with his newborn will help him heal. The situation being what it is, needs to be given time and as a start, Xhaka shouldn’t be on the pitch for a few weeks. He should apologise, work himself back to form and come back fresh and by the time things would have cooled off.
It’s way too toxic at our club now, so the sooner the Management takes a call on Emery & Ozil, the better.
Sincerely speaking I was hoping If anything could stop Xhaka from playing for arsenal now because he has singlehandedly caused me heartbreak, frustration and am beginning to lose desire for sport generally. Xhaka has brought nothing to arsenal FC but regression, do you know that even the second goal came from his inability to block the cross coming to Adrew Ayew. But when it was open that he was going to be made a captain I was very happy because I knew it won’t take long for him to leave but I never thought it will be this quick. Good luck Xhaka, I am very sorry for all you are going through now but the truth is that you are not good enough for arsenal. if Leicester city can score 9 goals against a curtain team in the same league, I can’t remember if we have done that before please we want our arsenal back not Xhaka or Emery
@NY_Gunner, spot on. Some Arsenal fans can give but they can’t take. Imagine hurling abuse in the direction of Xhaka and his pregnant wife. For whatever reason. How low can you go?
But the reason the fans are divided against the team and the manager is because the manager inherited an already divided fan base. With a flurry of changes that are yet to bed in and an impatient army of fans, what do you expect?
I don’t think Xhaka wants to continue to play for Arsenal. I believe he has had it up to here with the treatment and the abuse. He didn’t have to answer back but the fans have not exactly covered themselves in glory.
The way forward should be our concern now. Regaining harmony and removing the toxic atmosphere.
If Emery had the judgement and understanding of how the English football culture actually is, esp in the Prem, he would immediately strip this rash and hotheaded man of the captaincy and also drop him from thr first eleven. He would not again let thrplayers decde who thay wish to be captain. You may as well let the players pick the team and make a mockery of needing a manager at all. Some might even think we might be better off without a manager at all than THIS one. He would also have the sense to realise that Xhaa is totally unsuited to top level midfield, being totally slow paced and incapable of opponent awareness and quick thinking. Almost as one the entire Gooner fans base do not want him in the team or at best as a back up on the bench. Simply put he was a bad buy , made worse by keeping him constantly in the team. A sensible manager would now cut his losses and seek to move him on in January. I have lost all faith in Emery’s judgement in general and it is plain the entire team are puzzled at whatever it is he is trying to achieve. I suggest that we fans are also puzzled, as he has accomplished nothing other than to regress our football , even from the latter dismal days of Wenger. If the regime had the sense I still HOPE,though am unsure that they have, they would now see that Emery himself is the wrong man for us and sack him. They would also ensure this silly and poor captain is put up for sale .
Fans are customers to the club and as always, customer is the king
the sex pistols said it all about this guy