Xhaka debunks unfair critics’ claim

Arsenal midfielder Granit XhakaArsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has responded to those who have tagged him “a brainless idiot” in the first season in the English Premiership due to his difficulties complying with disciplinary issues.Xhaka was sent off in the tie against Swansea City in October and faced same dismissal in the Premier League match against Burnley in January, an experience the Arsenal player, who was signed on from Borussia Monchengladbach last summer, has found very disturbing.Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has offered that the Swiss was endangering his future at the Emirates and said manager Arsene Wenger “is going to have to work with Granit Xhaka and teach him how to tackle.”“What hurt me a lot was the source of the criticism and its form. It didn’t come from my club, but from former players who don’t know me any more than they know Arsenal,” Xhaka told the Swiss media.Xhaka has been shown eight yellow cards for his club this season alone.“People who don’t know anything about how I work attacked me by making me look like a brainless idiot and nasty.”Xhaka has received a ban of four games after his reception of a second red card of the season in a row. Nevertheless, he returned to the first eleven soon after his ban ended and featured for Arsenal against Bayern in the Champions League round-of-16 first leg.“Arsene Wenger couldn’t have given me a better sign of confidence. After two weeks working with the fitness coach, the coach came to me and took a weight off my shoulders: ”˜You’re playing!’”“You see, such a sending-off can, according to the circumstances, change a career. The coach also could very well have said to me that I was a burden on the route to success. He also could have sacked me!” Xhaka remarked.