Jamie Carragher has stated that Granit Xhaka is someone that ‘gets criticism’ from the Arsenal fans when things aren’t going well, but ‘every manager’ still picks him, as he told MNF on Sky Sports PL (06/12/21 at 7:55 pm).
The hard-hitting Arsenal midfielder returned to action on Monday night, as the Gunners suffered a 2-1 defeat to Everton.
Even though Xhaka had been out of action for so long, Mikel Arteta threw him straight back into the deep end.
Despite his side, taking the lead and then making a complete hash of proceedings, it was actually a very solid display from Xhaka given the circumstances.
There’s no doubt that he is a marmite-like figure in North London and that’s something that will never change.
But Carragher lauded the type of character he is and how there is a ‘good player’ inside of him.
“It’s interesting with Xhaka because he is a player that gets criticism when Arsenal don’t do well,” said Xhaka.
“But every manager picks him and as soon as he is fit, he goes straight back into the team. Of course, he is a good character.
“I think he is a good player. He does sometimes lose his head and does silly challenges.
“But, the fact that Arsenal managers continually pick him and he goes straight into the team when he’s fit, it shows that he’s a good character and player. We saw that in the summer in the Euros.”
That infamous moment against Crystal Palace when Xhaka was Arsenal captain, will forever live in the memory of the fans for the wrong reasons.
On many occasions, it has seemed as though the Switzerland international was going to head for the exit door, including in the summer.
But he stayed put, and perhaps to the surprise of some supporters, he signed a new deal instead.
Arteta is going to have to lean on someone of Xhaka’s character going forward because, after back-to-back defeats, they are in a tough place now and they need to pick themselves up.
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