Arsenal: Before you hate Granit Xhaka, look in the mirror

Arsenal fans are still angry at Granit Xhaka, but before you go too far in your criticism, take a look in the mirror and ask what part you had in this?

Arsenal fans are not known for being level-headed, and they probably never will be. It’s a byproduct of the culture, and it’s a massive shame, at that. Too many good people looking downright awful towards other good people solely because they aren’t getting their way. Nowhere is that seen more vividly than in the case of Granit Xhaka.

Now that Xhaka is rumored to be back in the running to make an appearance against Southampton, fans want to know why he should even come back at all. Meanwhile, there are reports that Xhaka wants to have a summit with the club to find out what happened with the captaincy.

Honestly, as much as I have supported Granit Xhaka, there’s no getting back the captaincy now. But that isn’t really his fault. It’s the fault of the piggish fans who harassed him into a mental breakdown.

Fans are now playing this whole “how dare he?” card, wondering how he could ever have acted that way, and how he could dare be upset about the captaincy being taken away from him.

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Meanwhile, I’m left scratching my head. This should not be confusing at all, because you’re the ones that did this. You created the state that this man is in, this “monstrous” state that some fans see him in, but he’s far from a monster. He’s a human being, which is something that I also think gets lost in the shuffle.

This whole, “he’s a professional, he should be better” argument is complete ridiculousness. At our core, we’re all human beings, and if you think that anyone is “above” that, then you’re just puffing up your own excuses in an attempt to justify awful behavior.

Don’t hate the product of your own actions. It’s a pretty simple idea.

More than that, there is this human element called empathy that should be prevalent in any human being that sees another trying to redeem himself. Redemption is a powerful thing, and it’s what Xhaka will be looking for if he steps back onto the pitch.

To even think that there are fans out there who wouldn’t welcome him back onto the pitch is disgusting, but that’s the world we live in, and it’s a world that so many of you created. Well done.