Xhaka Rubbishes Arteta’s Criticism of Arsenal’s Mentality

Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka has publicly rubbished with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta following their frustrating draw against West Ham United on Sunday.

The Gunners blew a two-goal lead in the London derby, resulting in a 2-2 draw, significantly affecting their title aspirations this season.

Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard scored the early goals for Arsenal, the league leaders, at the London Stadium.

However, the hosts mounted a comeback through Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen, denying the Gunners a win they should have secured comfortably.

Read also: Gary Neville, Right? Will ‘Thirsty’ Arsenal Fail To Win The League?

Following the match, a disappointed Mikel Arteta questioned his team’s mentality in a post-match interview with Sky Sports, saying they lacked a “ruthless mindset” to kill off the game.

But Xhaka disagrees with Arteta’s assessment, stating that Arsenal’s failure to win had nothing to do with the players’ mentality.

The Swiss midfielder called for unity among the team as they head into the crucial final stretch of the season.

“It is not about the mentality. For sure, it’s not,” The Mirror quoted Xhaka saying.

“If something is not going well, it is easy to show the finger to someone else. Now, it is time to be together because there are seven games to go.”

Xhaka’s comments suggest that there may be some tensions within the Arsenal camp, with players holding different views on the reasons for the team’s poor performances.

As they enter the season’s final stages, Arsenal will need to iron out any differences and focus on their remaining fixtures if they hope to challenge for the title.