Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka insists he is not 'a brainless idiot'
Friday 24 March 2017 17:44, UK
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka claims critics have portrayed him as a "brainless idiot" because of his disciplinary record.
Xhaka moved to Arsenal from Borussia Monchengladbach last summer and has been sent off twice in the Premier League so far this season.
The 24-year-old saw red for two bookable offences against Swansea back in October, while his sending off in January's win over Burnley resulted in a four-match ban, in what was his ninth red card in three seasons.
It led former Arsenal player Martin Keown to suggest "laziness" as a reason for Xhaka's disciplinary issues, adding that the Swiss international needs to practise tackling drills in training more often.
"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 Swiss media.
"People who don't know anything about how I work attacked me by making me look like a brainless idiot and nasty."
Xhaka has also picked up eight yellow cards this season, but boss Arsene Wenger believes he has now become a victim of his own reputation.
Wenger has kept faith with Xhaka when available, and opted to play the midfielder in their Champions League first leg clash with Bayern Munich in February despite missing the previous four matches through suspension.
"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,'" Xhaka added.
"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."
