What did Xhaka do yesterday to demonstrate he’s any different to any of those players you listed? He didn’t step up, he didnt boss the midfield, he was fucking nowhere.
All well and good calling out the kids and others for a lack of balls as long as you demonstrate something better by way of example.
This bloke has been a constant, running theme in 5 of the worst years I’ve had being an Arsenal fan. Fake leader has no place dishing out stick to others given his track record.
‘We didn’t do execute the game plan.’ That to me implicates himself.
It was the interviewer that forced the young players narrative. Xhaka said it doesn’t matter the age.
The message is fine but people seem to have an issue with who is delivering the message which to me is an irrelevant quibble. Xhaka said what was needed to be said.
Yeah, he sometimes talks a good game. He can say what needs to be said once the 90 minutes are up, but last night that team needed a leader, and some midfield presence, and he was fucking nowhere. Occasionally talking a good game but being sub par on the pitch is literally one of the biggest gripes people have had in his time with us.
I’d have a problem with any player out there last night giving an interview after saying that kind of stuff, as if its somehow valuable to say “we didnt follow the managers instructions, we weren’t up for it, we didn’t fight, cant tell you why though”
I think it may be more of an issue that we have twelve guys who can execute Arteta’s plan at a high level.
If the plan was to play through the press, which I’m not sure it was, having a midfield of Xhaka and Elneny, fullbacks in Cedric and Nuno aren’t going to get you there. We needed Partey, Tomiyasu, even Tierney to help us with that.
@Aussiegooner Yeah it’s not so much unprofessional imo but more than that I just think that it’s bad leadership. I didn’t get the sense he was exempting himself from criticism but at the same time, what does he gain from airing that in public? Maybe it felt good for him, idk, but we’ve heard empty words from him for five years. We don’t need any more.
Listening to the interview, to me it sounds like he is including himself in the fact that he constantly says “we”.
I feel this is one of those situations that you can’t win either way. If he says exactly what he did today, he’s throwing people under the bus and not professional etc but if he says nothing then he doesn’t care about the club, doesn’t take responsibility and is happy to take the pay-cheque etc
I realise the irony in this being paragraph 3 of an analysis of his interview, but I do feel there’s probably a bit of over-analysis that goes on with these sorts of things and it certainly doesn’t help that Xhaka is already one of our most analysed and maligned players.
I think he’s probably just airing some frustration and isn’t really being too calculated as to the exact message that conveys. Maybe he would say some things differently if he had another chance but this is an interview taking place a very short time after the match.
Xhaka can say “we” all he wants but all I hear is “they”.
Highlighted when he says some people need to stay home or sit on the bench, when he says age is irrelevant.
Clear as day he doesn’t really think he was part of the problem.
That’s a you problem man. Like I said, can’t win either way since some people will just say shit like you did in the above quote lol
Xhaka: “It’s entirely my fault”
People: “He can say it’s his fault but all I hear is him blaming everyone else”
It’s really not “clear as day”, that’s just your interpretation lol
I saw the age comment as him actually deflecting the interviewer’s attempt to create a situation where Xhaka was blaming the young players.
The interviewer literally asks if it’s because we are a young team and he basically says it doesn’t matter about age.
Ok Granit, it’s not your fault.
He’s just lost a massive game after a long season with all our hopes and dreams pinned on one outcome. Fans are allowed to be as knee jerk and emotional as they want but players have to highly paid robots always keeping quiet? Nah fuck that. Anyone can say shit out of anger and I respect his right to do that in a bad night, but also he has to recognise he was also out there. We did not rise to the challenge.
It was a tough challenge against a class team who showed why their form is great, but these nights are what make a club take that step forward. I think Newcastle also haven’t been given enough credit for that performance. They genuinely looked like they were a better team than us. If you compare the teams last night man for man they have at least 3-5 better players.
I don’t have a problem with what he said.
I have a problem with the way this team has played on the run in. A big problem with that , the owners and the management at the club.
What Granit has said is very dangerous. Keep calm, control and not expose our weaknesses to the media are key factors in moments like these. This interview sounds like an own goal.
His words risk to break the atmosphere into the dressing room. I’m sure Mikel is not happy.
Great, because whoever he doesn’t like gets gone…thanks for taking yourself out Xhaka.
The right message from the wrong player. Xhaka has let us down to many times this season to be on his high horse. It did feel as though he was pinpointing particular players though in his comments. Wonder who he was implying was nervous or not up for it?
I’m very curious about that. I wonder if we’ll see it in the documentary.
Completely agree, even if it were a player I liked and not the literal footballing anti Christ saying it I think I would feel this way.
Where the fuck was this mentality when Auba and Lacazette were fluffing chances earlier in the season, when Ozil became a professional Fortnite player rather than represent the club.
Absolute horseshit mentality to start laying blame at the feet of our younger players who while have been far from perfect all season they have stood tall and represented the club with pride.
Seriously 95% of the shit people complain about isn’t even the problem with this club. The fact we genuinely don’t have a midfield is though- and Xhaka harbours about 95% of the blame for that.
Get this cunt out of my club so the rebuild can actually truely begin.
Xhaka’s answer was just another way of saying, the manager is not to blame but the players were.
You do have to wonder what the game plan was and why the players found it so difficult to execute. There was a half-time break and the performance didn’t get much better. Maybe the plan sucked?
Nah you’re looking at it far too simplistically, that was Xhaka saying, “I’m not to blame, my teammates were,” that’s as classic self perseveration as you’re ever likely to see in a team sport.
Dude’s a fucking cockroach, type of scum that climbs a corporate ladder by shitting on the corpses of those who help him.
Using “we” is a good way of trying to spread blame for people fucking things up in your team, but when you say “we need players with balls”, that is absolutely not him saying that he himself had no balls, he’s definitely pointing fingers 
Xhaka is the opposite of real leaders like Adams or Vieira.
He likes to portray himself as a the hard man of the team but his actions are cowardly.
A proper leader takes responsibility, all Xhaka does is blame everyone else.
He brown noses Arteta at every opportunity and that’s why he still keeps getting picked.
His persistent red cards and stupid mistakes, as well as his obvious his lack of talent, constantly lose us points, yet it’s everyone else’s fault.
At the top of the interview he’s already apportioned blame to the team by saying ‘we did not execute the coaches plan’.
The second question (a leading question) the interview asks whether age was a factor. Xhaka says no.
Then goes on to say ‘if you’re not ready, stay at home’ and ‘we need people to have the balls’. Can we assume Xhaka has balls in this scenario? Yes. Is he still apportioning blame to the whole team and not the manager? Also, yes. If he’s pointing fingers he is still talking to everyone at this point.
It’s classic sports leader talk. We just don’t accept the messaging because of who the messenger is. Gary Neville literally said as much and we’re here doing the same.