Unai Emery Is To Blame For Xhaka’s Emirates Showdown – Martin Keown

Martin Keown has blamed Unai Emery for Granit Xhaka’s outburst against own fans.

The midfielder told the Arsenal supporters to “f*** off” when he was met with boos and jeers in the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.

Now, Xhaka is in danger of getting stripped off of his captaincy. Speaking to the Daily Mail Keown said, “Sunday was not the first time Granit Xhaka has been jeered by his own fans.

“It happened on September 22 too, when Aston Villa visited. Villa were leading 2-1 at the time, then Xhaka was substituted and serenaded by boos. Arsenal, despite being down to 10 men, went on to win 3-2 without the midfielder. Then five days later, Emery names Xhaka as captain anyway.”

Keown believes the Arsenal faithful never wanted Xhaka as the club captain since the entire fanbase is torn over his effectiveness on the pitch. He has already picked up a reputation of being one of the reckless midfielders in the Premier League and has also performed poorly in recent times.

“Emery is as much to blame as anyone,” Keown added. “If you let the players pick their skipper, then it becomes a popularity contest and that is not what leadership is about.

“I’ve never had a manager who decided the captaincy that way and, for me, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is still the safer bet.”