Granit Xhaka has given a damning assessment of Arsenal’s performance at Newcastle, saying their defeat shows they ‘do not deserve’ any European football.
It was a terrible night for the Gunners as their 2-0 defeat saw them give away their advantage to their north London rivals in the chase for fourth place.
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Full-time Mohamed Elneny’s reaction sums up the feeling at Arsenal Football Club at the moment
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And Xhaka didn’t mince words when asked what was wrong
Barring an unlikely Spurs defeat at Norwich on the final day of the Premier League, Arsenal are set for another season in the Europa League.
And Xhaka did not hesitate to give his verdict on his performance and that of his teammates.
“It’s so hard to find the right words after the game,” Xhaka told Sky Sports.
“We came here to show a different game, but from the first minute until the 90 minutes we didn’t deserve to be on the pitch today.”
Xhaka also suggested Arsenal players weren’t doing what manager Mikel Arteta told them to do.
When asked why it was such a subpar performance, Xhaka replied, “I don’t know. I can’t explain to you why.
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Xhaka added that Arsenal players fail to execute Arteta’s game plan
“We didn’t follow the game plan, not listening to the coach, doing our things and when you do your things, those games happen.
“What happened was a disastrous performance and [playing] like that you don’t deserve the Champions League, you don’t even deserve to play in the Europa League.
“It’s very difficult to take it at the moment and I don’t know why we don’t do what the coach asks us to do.”
It has been suggested that the pressure is reaching Arsenal players with huge sums at stake, and while Xhaka does not subscribe to the idea that they suffer from stage fright, he has given a simple message to anyone who cares. have felt.
“If someone isn’t ready for this game, stay home. It’s as simple as that,” he added.
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Arsenal will need Tottenham to lose to Norwich on the final day if they are to have any chance of finishing in the top four
” Age does not matter. You can be 30, 35, you can be ten, you can be 18. If you’re not ready for it, you’re nervous, stay on the bench or stay home – don’t come here.
“We need people to have the balls – sorry to say – to come here and play because we knew it was maybe one of the most important games for us, but playing like that is not not acceptable.
“Very, very sad for us, I’m very, very disappointed and I’m really sorry for the people who came here to support us. I’m really sorry for the Arsenal supporters. This is not the way we wanted to follow and I can only say sorry to them.
