Arsenal’s positive end to last season has made many fans forget what happened in the first half of the campaign. Mikel Arteta’s positivity has changed the environment in and around the Emirates, but there were a lot of problems before he took over the club.
Unai Emery wasn’t getting the results and fans turned on the Spaniard very quickly. There were multiple problems behind the scenes as well, with Mesut Ozil not featuring regularly.
However, Arsenal’s most controversial moment from last season was when Granit Xhaka decided to have a go at the home supporters when he was leaving the pitch against Crystal Palace.
The Swiss international, who was Arsenal’s skipper then, was stripped of his captaincy as a result, and it looked certain that he would be sold in the January transfer window.
Xhaka has even admitted that he wanted to leave, but Arteta had different plans (Mail). The Spaniard convinced the Swiss international to stick around and that has proved to be one of his best moves as Arsenal boss so far.
The former Borussia Monchengladbach star was one of Arsenal’s best players in the second half of last season. He is now one of the first names on the team sheet and the fans who wanted him out, have accepted him back with open arms.
It is not easy for anybody to make a comeback as good as that after what happened with Xhaka. Although he is no longer Arsenal skipper, he has shown that he is a real leader.
Xhaka’s qualities have been identified by every manager he has worked with. The Swiss international is no longer his club’s skipper but he has been named as the captain of his national team (Sky Sports).
If this happened 10 months ago, Arsenal fans would have had a huge go at Xhaka. However, he has received nothing but love on social media after Switzerland made the announcement today.
Here is how a few Arsenal fans reacted on Twitter
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