I DO not know how Granit Xhaka comes back from this.
It will be toxic at Arsenal if Unai Emery picks him again and the player needs to come out and apologise sharpish to the fans.
No one expects Xhaka to be pleased when your own fans are cheering when you’re being substituted.
But, as captain, you just cannot react to your fans in the way he did.
There is no way back for Xhaka unless he apologises.
The longer he leaves it, the bigger a mistake the incident will turn out to be.
When supporters have a go at you like that, it is because they are not happy — but he is the team’s captain.
So you cannot react like that, telling the fans what to do in that language.
And you cannot rip your shirt off and storm off the pitch like that, either.
It’s not just the language the Switzerland international used.
He cupped his hand to his ear while walking off and could not get his shirt off quick enough.
Whatever you think of the fans, they are the ones that pay their money.
They are the ones who buy season tickets and come and support you week in, week out.
Like it or not, supporters are entitled to an opinion.
It would be one thing if Xhaka had been magnificent every single week, then you could understand his frustration.
But he hasn’t and you get the sense a lot of Arsenal fans weren’t happy when he was appointed as captain.
Xhaka’s relationship with the fans wasn’t great even before this incident.
But you just cannot react in the way he did.
The reason Emery replaced him with Bukayo Saka just after the hour mark was because the Swiss midfielder wasn’t having a great game and his manager wanted to beat Crystal Palace.
Nothing has really changed at Arsenal under Emery.
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The Gunners will always score goals with the players they have.
But they still seem very fragile and very weak.
And because of that, I imagine every team that plays against Arsenal will feel they have a good chance to beat them.