Unai Emery reacts to Arsenal fans cheering Granit Xhaka substitution

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Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has again been criticised.

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has told Sky Sports that he wants Gunners fans to ‘help each player’ after ironic applause for his decision to substitute Granit Xhaka.

Arsenal were once again massively unconvincing on Sunday, as they only just managed to squeeze past Aston Villa with a 3-2 win on Sunday afternoon.

Emery’s side were 1-0 down to a John McGinn goal when Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent off, and even when Nicolas Pepe scored from the spot, Wesley restored Villa’s lead.

Calum Chambers and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang managed to find the net to give Arsenal a 3-2 win, but fans were once again left worried by the performance.

Unsurprisingly, midfielder Xhaka again bore the brunt of fan frustrations, which has been the case for some time now, especially since his poor display against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month.

The Swiss international has been blasted by fans and pundits, with many unsure what he actually contributes to games outside of persistent fouling.

Xhaka – who had unsurprisingly been booked – was hauled off after 72 minutes against Villa, with fans ironically cheering loudly at his withdrawal in favour of Joe Willock.

Boss Emery has now reacted to that reception by calling on fans to help every player rather than criticise them, adding that he thinks Xhaka is a ‘good player’ and will continue to support him, whilst claiming that he substituted him for fresh legs rather than because he didn’t like his display.

“My opinion is we need our supporters and we need our supporters helping each player,” said Emery, seemingly unimpressed with the hounding of his midfielder. “I changed him because he played 90 minutes on Thursday. I preferred a fresh player. But for me he is a very important player for us.”

“He has a big commitment here. I am sure he is going to achieve the best things. We are professional. He is an experienced player. He knows sometimes we are criticised. We need to be mature and continue working. I am going to support him. He’s a good player,” he added.