Stevie Nicol has defended Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka despite being accused by Frank Leboeuf of causing a ‘big fight’ during Switzerland’s 3-2 win over Serbia at the Qatar World Cup, as he told ESPN.
The Liverpool legend thinks Xhaka has changed and he is now ‘smart’ when the former Arsenal captain gets involved in confrontations out on the field.
Well, the 30-year-old was involved in a few heated moments as Switzerland progressed to the knockout stages of the World Cup by knocking out Serbia.
Xhaka’s background is from the Albanian region of the old Yugoslavia, which was oppressed by the Serbian population – that led to several families of Albanian and Kosovo backgrounds moving out, with Xhaka’s family moving to Switzerland.
Therefore, every time he plays against the Serbs, it’s a highly-charged and politically-motivated game, with the former Basel player previously being fined for doing the ‘eagle’ celebration, which is on the Albanian flag.
Whilst former France World Cup winner Lebouef thinks Xhaka could have received his seemingly mandatory red card against Serbia, former Liverpool defender Nicol thinks there is now a maturity to Xhaka’s game.
Frank Leboeuf on Xhaka: “Serbia lost their nerve and minds in the last 20 minutes. Switzerland used their experience. Xhaka was in the middle of a big fight and I thought he was going to be red-carded.”
“He’s smart now, though,” said Nicol. “He starts it all off, but then other people get pulled into it. Previously, he would have got sent off.”
XHAKA PROVING HIS WORTH
Over the years, Xhaka may have divided opinion, but one thing is for sure, he is a player you want on your team.
One thing that can never be questioned about the player is his character, how he gives his all to his team and how he would sacrifice himself for his team.
Sometimes, those result in sending-offs, which end up in the hard-hitting midfielder getting criticised, but that divided player is now getting all the love in north London.
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