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 “fuck off” as he left the pitch in a huff.
Xhaka 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Xhaka’s game ended minutes later when he was withdrawn for teenager Bukayo Saka, but the Switzerland international had no intention of going quietly.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 “fuck 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.”
