The Arsenal captain appeared to duck out of the way of a goal yesterday.
Granit Xhaka didn’t cover himself in glory for Arsenal last night.
The Gunners drew 1-1 at Manchester United in what was the Switzerland international’s first game since being voted as permanent club captain.
But it’s difficult to argue that it was a captain’s performance from the Arsenal midfielder, whose set-piece delivery attracted criticism, as did the incident just before the opener.
Scott McTominay fired the Red Devils into a 1-0 lead just before half-time, letting fly from just outside the box in a rifled effort which gave Bernd Leno no chance.
But television replays indicate that Xhaka ducked out of the way of McTominay’s pile-driver, prompting plenty of criticism from fans of the North London club on Twitter.
Unai Emery, however, has claimed that he did not see it.
He told Arsenal’s official website when asked about the incident: “He ran back, maybe the first in this action, I didn’t see that action but I watched when he was running back and really he did perfectly with that running.”
Claiming not to have seen it is fair enough. It’s a way for a manager to avoid throwing one of his players under the bus in public, an excuse Arsene Wenger used for many years.
But to flip it upside down and actually praise Xhaka for his tracking back is a tad ridiculous from Emery, who is already losing faith among many Gunners supporters and this rationale is unlikely to win them back.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
