Arsenal slumped to two dropped points on Sunday against Crystal Palace. The match was topsy-turvy and saw plenty of good and bad play from both ends. However, Granit Xhaka stole the show during his second-half substitution after he responded to fan jeers with an expletive and by removing his kit.
The player’s future at the club is now very much in doubt but one thing is for sure; Arsenal will need a new captain.
Granit Xhaka Must Be Stripped of Captaincy
Questionable Captain
Unai Emery waited a long time before naming his successor to Laurent Koscielny. When the decision finally came it was of no real surprise that Granit Xhaka got the armband. The midfielder captained Borussia Monchengladbach and has done so for Switzerland in the past.
However, it was not a decision which went down well with either fans or pundits. Receiving the club captaincy suggests that Emery would ideally like to have the player on the pitch at all times. While he has leadership abilities, his on-field skill set is much more limited.
The fact that the other player reportedly voted for him is of little solace. Arsenal’s midfield needs to improve and Xhaka is holding it back.
Bad to Worse
As if the situation wasn’t already bad enough, then came the match with Palace. Emery subbed Granit Xhaka off for Bukayo Saka in the 60th minute to try and earn the three points. What followed will become infamous in time:
The Swiss international is clearly upset by the decision as well as the fan reaction and responds in the worst possible way. First, he throws the armband at Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in frustration at the situation.
He then responds directly to the jeers, serving only to feed the fire so to speak. Then, he barely slaps the hands of either Saka or Emery before ripping his kit off and storming down the tunnel.
None of that is becoming of a club captain and Arsenal must act swiftly. Just like when Koscielny downed tools in the summer, a publicly unhappy captain only hurts the club. Perhaps there is a way back into the squad for Granit Xhaka, but it won’t be as captain.
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