Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has been criticised by Craig Burley for his display against Liverpool.
The pundit told ESPN that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta ought to have a word with the £30million midfielder.
Xhaka has come in for some criticism in recent days after seemingly helping Liverpool turn the game in their favour.
With Arsenal 2-0 up at Anfield, the Gunners ace was involved in an altercation with Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Xhaka was late in challenging Alexander-Arnold for the ball on the far touchline towards the end of the first-half.
That led to Alexander-Arnold squaring up to Xhaka before pushing him in the back.
In response, referee Paul Tierney booked both players.
The incident ignited the Anfield crowd, with Liverpool getting a goal back not long after.
‘Screw the head on’
Some have criticised Xhaka for being the catalyst for the change in the game.
And Burley believes Arteta needs to take the midfielder into his office and urge him to keep his cool.
“He’s one of the most physical players in the Premier League who could not, after that point, make a tackle because he’s on a yellow card. Stupid yellow card,” he told ESPN.
“Now if he gets booked for a late tackle, I really don’t have a problem with that. That’s part and parcel of the game.
“But as a central midfielder myself, you’re in the engine room, you’ve got to make tackles, you’ve got to try and toe poke things away, you’ve got to be physical on 50-50s.
“If you get yourself yellow carded for stupidity so early in the game, you’re walking the finest of tightropes.
“And if anybody tells me that doesn’t affect your game, they don’t know what they’re talking about, because your game in the middle of the park is not only to play, but it’s go and win second balls.
“I really hope, for all he’s done this season, Mikel Arteta pulls him in and says: ‘listen, screw the head on between now and the end of the season’.
“‘No more stupid decisions, no more stupid yellows. Be physical, be yourself, but come on. Don’t get involved in situations that are unnecessary’.”
Our view
A game like Liverpool v Arsenal was always going to hinge on fine margins.
So much so, in fact, that Xhaka’s actions came in for criticism, even though they didn’t actually give Liverpool a tangible advantage.
It’s not like he was sent off, or helped contribute to a Reds goal.
Nevertheless, a combination of a yellow card – and the ensuing tightrope – and the reaction from the stands certainly didn’t help Arsenal.
There’s no doubt Arteta will have had a word with Xhaka in the aftermath of the game.
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