Arsenal: Granit Xhaka has absolutely nailed the fan epidemic

Arsenal fans have not ben kind to Granit Xhaka, and in his latest comments, he has boiled it down perfectly what the issue here is, and it’s widespread.

Arsenal fans’ ongoing feud with Granit Xhaka doesn’t look to end anytime soon, as the Swiss international captain has spoken out again against the fanbase that has so ostracized him and his ongoing attempts to make it in the Premier League.

Without going all the way back to rehash the entire thing, the last we heard, Xhaka had reportedly told Emery that he didn’t want to play against Leicester City, which Xhaka now seems to be contradicting by his own words, saying that he is ready to be back out on the pitch.

Xhaka also commented, again, on everything that happened. In his apology statement, he spoke up about what caused him to react the way he did, but it was in his recent statements that he really cuts to the core of the gross epidemic that is sweeping through the toxic Arsenal fan culture.

Xhaka said that he is not against criticism. He said it is his job as a player, and their job as a team, to accept criticism and grow from it. But it wasn’t that kind of criticism that drove him to his reaction.

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It was criticism on a personal level, completely unrelated to anything that happened on the pitch, and it provides absolutely nothing positive for any party involved.

Essentially, Xhaka is saying to criticize the player, not the person. And if you’re going to criticize the player, do so in a constructive way, not in a way that’s only mean to demean. Pretty simple instructions really, are they not? Act like a decent human being and everyone is happy.

That’s the problem though. For awhile now, clusters of fans have not been acting like decent human beings. It’s become a part of fan culture in North London and it’s hard to pinpoint where it starts from. Maybe it’s those idiots on YouTube who I don’t even want to refer to by name. Maybe it’s a sense of entitlement, I don’t know.

But this comes down to a widespread issue and the solution is one of two things. Either fans can grow the f*** up and stop being first degree arseholes, therefore sending more positivity on to the players, who can then grow along with it.

Or the team can buck the fans and get a hold of themselves, start winning, and hope that shuts everyone up. Neither is an easy solution because it involves one of two unlikely first steps. But just know that you, the fans, can help start the change you want to see.