Xhaka calls for Arsenal to be ‘more clever’ in their CL pursuit

Lewis Oldham
Arsenal midfielder Xhaka

Granit Xhaka called for Arsenal to be “more clever” after they beat their London rivals West Ham United 2-0 on Wednesday night.

At the start of December, Arsenal suffered back to back defeats in the Premier League as they were beaten by Man United and Everton.

They bounced back over the weekend as they beat Southampton 3-0, even though they were without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. 


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The Gunners hosted West Ham on Wednesday night. A win would have moved Mikel Arteta’s side into the top four.

They did just that as second half goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe earned them a valuable three points.

Next up for Arsenal is a trip to Elland Road as they face Leeds United on Saturday evening. Xhaka is keen for the Gunners to be “more solid”:

“We are looking much much better at home but if you want to be in the top four you have to win and you have to also take the points away from home,” Xhaka told Stadium Astro.

“Hopefully this can start against Saturday against Leeds. But yes, we have to improve away we have to be more clever, more solid.

“We can’t play every time the same game at home and away. We have to be more clever and start from the experienced players to the young guys.”

Elsewhere, Martin Keown has had his say on Mikel Arteta’s decision to strip Aubameyang of the captain’s armband at Arsenal:

“Well it is one hour before what is a really important game. I think he’s anxious to put him behind him. I do feel as if it was a very bold decision to pull the captaincy from Aubameyang.

“It could’ve been left until the end of the season because I just fear for Aubameyang. How are we getting him back onto the field because he’s going to be an important player at some point.

“You don’t have that sort of quality and just disappear from the group. That’s my biggest concern. Obviously there’s an appetite for change and he must be a serial offender in terms of the misdemeanours that have gone on off the field but over the years there have been captains who have offended far more than this with ill-discipline and kept the captaincy because they were leaders of men.

“They don’t feel, clearly, that he’s a true leader. He got the captaincy in the first place with the previous manager for his performances so I just feel that the storm around it – we’re talking about it now because the manager’s made that decision.

“It’s going to have to work tonight for me. The players, I hope it doesn’t impact on the group. That there’s a unity there and they’re behind the decision. He is paid to manage and that’s what he’s doing but I do feel it’s a very bold decision.”