Arsenal: Granit Xhaka “Stupidity” An Egregious Claim

Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka has been accused of doing something “stupid” every match. Is this real life or does someone just want attention? Or both?

Arsenal seems to have finally conceded and allowed Granit Xhaka to be a mainstay. It’s been a long time coming and it is beyond overdue. The Swiss tank has been as solid as a rock in the midfield and, aside from maybe one or two mistakes, has avoided his past of disciplinary problems.

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Yes, I said it. He has not been as bad as you think. 19 appearances, three yellow cards, one red. A bit much, but a bit of a spine is exactly what the Gunners needed. A bit of a hardened presence unlike anything we’ve had since Patrick Vieira.

Some disagree. One particular guy, who has disqualified me even naming him (although I will cite the source) thinks that Granit Xhaka does something stupid every single match.

Now, normally I’d look at this and laugh. This is in line with Alan Shearer and that one Chelsea guy that said the Gunner would choke. But as it is so stupid in it’s own right and as it downplays a standout signing and performer who deserves all the credit in the world for his quick acclimation.

First of all, let me disprove this by simply referencing Xhaka’s performance against Tottenham. He didn’t commit a single foul. So yeah, nothing stupid, according to that one guy’s logic.

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Even beyond that though, this is such an outlandish accusation. For starters, his “penalty” surrendered against Joe Allen is easily explainable. Xhaka didn’t fully appreciate how short the little Welshman was. What would have been a regular box out turned into a cold cock.

And even then it wasn’t that bad. Certainly not bad enough to be deemed ‘stupid’.

The only really stupid thing that stands out to me was the red card against Swansea City and even that was moreso rash and brazen than it was stupid.

The Swiss often cites how he uses his intelligence to cope with his lack of pace and that has shone through bright and clear. His positioning is only improving with time and he isn’t even taking those rather brave shots as of late.

That is the sign of someone growing into his role and trying to weed out any poor choices.

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But stupid? Get real. The only thing that is stupid about Granit Xhaka is the opinion that it led this “pundit” to formulate.