Arsenal and Granit Xhaka: Emirates boos wrong but revealing

When Granit Xhaka was substituted midway through the second half of Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Aston Villa, the Emirates rose up in unison with jeering, booing and celebration at Unai Emery’s decision. The reaction was wrong, but it was also revealing.

It was the 72nd minute. Arsenal were a goal down, a man down and in desperate need of some inspiration. Head coach Unai Emery was under the cosh, his team were working hard but lacking dynamism and quality, and something needed to change. And so, against what has been his usual opinion, the Spaniard acted. He withdrew Granit Xhaka.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Unai Emery out?

Xhaka has been as integral to Emery’s plans as any other player in the squad over the past season or so. While fans and analysts have complained about his defensive tardiness, his lack of mobility, and his painful propensity to commit foul after foul after foul, Emery has always seen a more positive side to Swiss international’s game. But here, even he finally concluded that Xhaka was a problem, not a solution.

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After Xhaka’s withdrawal, Arsenal immediately improved. Lucas Torreira and Joe Willock were introduced, Dani Ceballos the other midfielder to trudge off, and their added athleticism and energy were crucial in the Gunners’ last-gasp comeback, a greater drive and impetus injected into the performance. And Xhaka, when his number came up on the fourth official’s board, had to wander to the touchline, first received celebration at the fact that he was coming off but then quickly turning to boos and jeers.

After the match, Emery was asked about the reaction of the fans and how Xhaka felt amidst it:

"“We are professionals. The coach and the players. Xhaka is an experienced player and he knows that sometimes we can say criticisms. We need to be mature and experienced to continue working and the next match is another challenge for the team, individually also, to do our work and really for me he is a very important player. I am going to support him. I am also going to decide when he can play and when not but he’s an important player with his commitment and his behaviour is great.”"

Booing your own player is not the job of a ‘supporter’. Criticism, yes, complaint, even, groans at their mistakes and rants in the pub. But never should that disappointment lead to direct action against the player. That is when acrimony turns into abuse.

Nevertheless, that this was the reaction of the fans to Xhaka’s substitution is extremely telling. It almost did not matter who was introduced in his place. No one cared. Just getting Xhaka off the pitch was reason enough for Arsenal fans the world over to celebrate. And given how the team drastically improved as a result, they might well have been right.

This felt like a watershed moment for Xhaka and his career in north London. He has been a key player for the team ever since his arrival over three years ago, with first Wenger and now Emery consistently viewing him as critical to their respective set-ups. But perhaps Emery is now beginning to see what the fans have seen for a long time: Xhaka is a problem.

What comes of this remains to be seen. Next week’s trip to Old Trafford is the type of match that Torreira and his bundle of energy is designed for. Conversely, it is not the game that you want Xhaka to be starting. And yet, there is this dreaded feeling that Emery will revert to what he knows, he will sit in the comfort zone that Xhaka enshrouds. But as the Emirates rose up in unison with jeering, booing and celebration, that comfort zone is being eroded away.