Lee Dixon told Premier League Productions during their live coverage of Arsenal’s draw at Burnley on Saturday that it’s ‘hard’ for him to be ‘very nice’ to Granit Xhaka.
It was the mistake of all mistakes from Xhaka at Turf Moor and it tops a list of some remarkable errors he has committed in an Arsenal shirt over the years.
Given Xhaka’s relationship with the supporters, it doesn’t help that it was the marmite-like midfielder who was hitting the ball straight at Chris Wood which led to Burnley’s equaliser.
Highbury legend Dixon shared his thoughts on Xhaka’s costly mistake yesterday and how he tried to talk positively about the player before the game.
“Where do I start?” said Dixon. “We all know they like to play out from the back but when Xhaka goes this close to his goalkeeper and tries a ball like this.
“He’s had a look over his shoulder a couple of times to know where the next pass is. The fact that he is running back in a straight line to his goalkeeper – what he should do is that if he is in trouble there he should roll it back to the keeper so he can clear his lines.
“I tried to be nice to him before the game and it was hard for me. I have tried to be fair on that one but it’s a big mistake and he knows that.”
Xhaka must be sick of the sight of Burnley now.
During the reverse fixture, with the game at 0-0 and Arsenal on top, Xhaka’s rage monitor hit boiling point and the £35 million player (BBC Sport) was sent off for grabbing Ashley Westwood by the throat.
That cost Arsenal the game, so you’d think players of his experience would have learnt their lesson.
Well, he cost them the win again yesterday, and with a big week coming up for those in red and white, Xhaka cannot afford any more slip-ups because not a single Arsenal fan will forgive him for making such errors against Tottenham.
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