Granit Xhaka: Xhak Off?

[TopGunner81]

Like I said yesterday, just Arsenal fans falling for Sky Sports stupid narrative. Carragher and Neville know what they are doing. Trying to get Arsenal fans to turn on our Granit.
Xhaka is a fighter if someone provokes him he will always react and fight, not dive. That is a plus not a negative.

Absolutely anything can rile their fans up. All it takes is one Liverpool player to gesture to their fans and they are riled up. They gained momentum because of the goal we conceded before half time, simple as. Had absolutely nothing to do with Xhaka.

Besides, like I said, if you come to Anfield you have to expect them at their best. You expect a hostile atmosphere. If we can’t handle a bit of noise we need to do much better.

Got to agree with this! Xhaka didn’t have a good game yesterday but the narrative being pushed by the sky team that it was his fault the momentum changed was absolutely ridiculous. He was fouled and the ref didn’t call it, he left a bit in on Trent and if anything Trent overreacted and pushed him in the back. Could he have walked away? Maybe. Would I have walked away in the same situation? Absolutely not

 

[MauveGunner]

And I thought it was only the Belgian commentator waffeling about the Xhaka foul bringing Liverpool into the game. I don't really see any corralation at all. Reputation bias.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Got to agree with this! Xhaka didn’t have a good game yesterday but the narrative being pushed by the sky team that it was his fault the momentum changed was absolutely ridiculous. He was fouled and the ref didn’t call it, he left a bit in on Trent and if anything Trent overreacted and pushed him in the back. Could he have walked away? Maybe. Would I have walked away in the same situation? Absolutely not

Agree, hanging this loss around Xhaka's neck is really bullshit!

 

[Tir Na Nog]

We had taken our foot off the gas even before that incident I felt.

The fans reacted to the incident initially but then calmed down quickly. I'd be far more concerned at the overall sloppiness that crept in including the defending for the goal

 

[freeglennhelder2]

Spoke to a Liverpool fan. He said the Trent vs Xhaka incident was only one of many factors that turned the game in their favour, he cited the Jota sub and Trent becoming a full time midfielder in the second half as others.

 

[Oxeki]

Xhaka didn't cost us the game. Poor defending did. Not doing the basics well on the second half ****ed us.

I can't believe I'm 2023 we still fall for this Neville/Sky agendum/narrative.

 

[Maybe]

Up until that point, it was a controlled game from us which we will always win vs them, and Xhaka made sure the game turned into chaos which favored Liverpool through the way they play football, home ground, and their fans.

Liverpool literally had nothing before that moment, it's his stupidity that changed the game and we were so close to HT.

 

[Maybe]

Xhaka didn't cost us the game. Poor defending did. Not doing the basics well on the second half ****ed us.

We do the basics right in a controlled environment, not chaos. It feels like some of you guys don't understand our players even after years of watching them.

So you ask yourself, when did the chaos start, and when did we lose control of the game?

Worst of all is that fans and coaches see him as some sort of a leader, this is one of so many examples in his Arsenal career of why he is nothing like that

 

[Tir Na Nog]

The media are desperate for something hence why Sky focused so heavily on the incident trying to get the fans on his back. The media licking their lips for anything to be used to create cracks.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

Meh, it was silly from Xhaka but I don't think it had a major impact in changing the momentum of the game. Liverpool were starting to get a bit of a foothold prior to the Xhaka / TAA incident.

 

[MutableEarth]

Meh, it was silly from Xhaka but I don't think it had a major impact in changing the momentum of the game. Liverpool were starting to get a bit of a foothold prior to the Xhaka / TAA incident.

Agree - I think the Xhaka situation is being overblown tbh. He didn't have a good game - both him and Ødegaard I thought were easily outfought and gave us no control in the 2nd half especially - but the big situation was largely innocuous and I don't think it was him that riled up the crowd. I would have preferred he didn't get sucked in to the situation but I think it wasn't that.

 

[Taneruit]

The media are desperate for something hence why Sky focused so heavily on the incident trying to get the fans on his back. The media licking their lips for anything to be used to create cracks.

Except Wrighty of course talking sense.

Ian Wright leaps to Granit Xhaka's defence after Arsenal star labelled "idiotic"

Gunners midfielder Granit Xhaka was blamed by many for waking up the Anfield crowd after his clash with Trent Alexander-Arnold while Arsenal were leading 2-0 before their demise

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[Batman]

We do the basics right in a controlled environment, not chaos. It feels like some of you guys don't understand our players even after years of watching them.

So you ask yourself, when did the chaos start, and when did we lose control of the game?

Worst of all is that fans and coaches see him as some sort of a leader, this is one of so many examples in his Arsenal career of why he is nothing like that

This is such a lazy analysis of what actually happened. He's given a nonsensical yellow by a biased referee after being fouled cynically twice. But to you because you can't get beyond a narrative, that means that he's the same old Xhaka despite an entire season of evidence to the contrary. It's just lazy and pitiful. He's not to blame for what happened yesterday. A bunch of dole abusing mouth breathers who sound like frogs with covid huffing helium getting riled up is not why we lost. We lost because the players abandoned what was working and because the referee allowed one team to foul with impunity while booking the other team for nothing.

 

[WorldbestMartinelli]

Too hotheaded for a title race... I can see a red coming soon tbh,if Viera wasn't such a wetpipe id bench him to relieve the pressure.

City will target him for sure.

 

[Maybe]

This is such a lazy analysis of what actually happened. He's given a nonsensical yellow by a biased referee after being fouled cynically twice. But to you because you can't get beyond a narrative, that means that he's the same old Xhaka despite an entire season of evidence to the contrary. It's just lazy and pitiful. He's not to blame for what happened yesterday. A bunch of dole abusing mouth breathers who sound like frogs with covid huffing helium getting riled up is not why we lost. We lost because the players abandoned what was working and because the referee allowed one team to foul with impunity while booking the other team for nothing.

First of all, we didn't lose, we won a point in one of the hardest away games. Second, I don't blame him directly but still feel as a senior he should have had the experience to calm things down before the HT when we were 2-0 up. Even if you don't agree with it, that's fine, no need to call for lazy analysis as I could say the same for you when Xhaka was asking for a foul after his constant diving.

I agree with your last point, Wenger once said it's our team's job to keep the ball on the ground when every team played long ball against us. The same thing happened yesterday, this team needs to learn how to enforce our game when things turn ugly. Refs won't help us with that, players need to focus more and this was a good experience for them

 

[Batman]

First of all, we didn't lose, we won a point in one of the hardest away games. Second, I don't blame him directly but still feel as a senior he should have had the experience to calm things down before the HT when we were 2-0 up. Even if you don't agree with it, that's fine, no need to call for lazy analysis as I could say the same for you when Xhaka was asking for a foul after his constant diving.

I agree with your last point, Wenger once said it's our team's job to keep the ball on the ground when every team played long ball against us. The same thing happened yesterday, this team needs to learn how to enforce our game when things turn ugly. Refs won't help us with that, players need to focus more and this was a good experience for them

Obviously I meant lost 2 points. As to your lazy analysis, you seem to think you know better about his leadership qualities than the players and coaches that have us top of the league. That's more than just lazy, it's totally daft. When did Xhaka dive? I said yesterday that he needs to continue playing even if he's being fouled because the ref is never going to stop play for him and he needed to understand that moment. I never said he dove and if you think he did then I truly don't know what you were watching. Nobody showed particularly great leadership out there by the way. That's often the case when teams struggle. Liverpool have got a team full of league and CL winners and none of them have shown much leadership this season or they wouldn't be in the state they're in. I wanted Xhaka out of this club as much as anyone but I'm not going to let those prior feelings cancel out what an incredible turnaround he's made here at this club. Refusing to change an opinion in the face of new evidence because the old one is comfortable and easy is definitionally lazy.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Obviously I meant lost 2 points. As to your lazy analysis, you seem to think you know better about his leadership qualities than the players and coaches that have us top of the league. That's more than just lazy, it's totally daft. When did Xhaka dive? I said yesterday that he needs to continue playing even if he's being fouled because the ref is never going to stop play for him and he needed to understand that moment. I never said he dove and if you think he did then I truly don't know what you were watching. Nobody showed particularly great leadership out there by the way. That's often the case when teams struggle. Liverpool have got a team full of league and CL winners and none of them have shown much leadership this season or they wouldn't be in the state they're in. I wanted Xhaka out of this club as much as anyone but I'm not going to let those prior feelings cancel out what an incredible turnaround he's made here at this club. Refusing to change an opinion in the face of new evidence because the old one is comfortable and easy is definitionally lazy.

I agree. I think Xhaka and others on the team needs to recognise when a referee like Tierney starts refereeing the game in favour of the opposition. When it happens we need to quickly adjust mentally and the more experienced players like Xhaka need to lead the way.

I think I wrote during the match that he and others needed to stop thinking they would get any, for lack of a better word, softer decisions going their way. Heck, we didn't even get anything for very obvious fouls. So a push in the back that would normally result in a free kick were at once allowed. The Liverpool players picked up on that and we need to do the same.

I also don't think the Xhaka incident should be overblown. I do not think it helps, but we needed to go into halftime with the lead intact and failed there. That is what cost us the win.

We move on! Cannot wait for our next game! Hope Xhaka delivers a master class and shuts all opposition pundits and journalists up!

 

[BergMan]

They were clear and obvious fouls. Yes Xhaka cleverly gets his body in the way but by the laws of the game they are clear and obvious fouls.
Ok you can say that in the moment Xhaka shouldn’t expect the referee to give anything. But after the game, that criticism should go to the referee, who completely gets away with it, and everyone is scapegoating Xhaka instead. That’s the injustice of it all. Paul Tierney wasn’t giving clear and obvious fouls, then gives the softest of penalties. Makes no sense. An awful, awful, awful referee.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

They were clear and obvious fouls. Yes Xhaka cleverly gets his body in the way but by the laws of the game they are clear and obvious fouls.
Ok you can say that in the moment Xhaka shouldn’t expect the referee to give anything. But after the game, that criticism should go to the referee, who completely gets away with it, and everyone is scapegoating Xhaka instead. That’s the injustice of it all. Paul Tierney wasn’t giving clear and obvious fouls, then gives the softest of penalties. Makes no sense. An awful, awful, awful referee.

Trust me, I am no ****ing fan of Paul Tierney! I am probably one of the biggest critics of the PL referees on this forum, but we need to understand how things are and not how we wish them to be.

It was obvious that Tierney wanted to favour Liverpool by allowing them to foul us often and not allowing us to commit the same fouls. Yes, it is obviously totally unfair, but by now, we all, including the players, especially the older players, need to understand that this is how the PGMOL rolls and will roll and this is how Paul Tierney rolls and will roll. This applies to Xhaka in this and other instances, just as it applies to Holding for the penalty or Saka when walking to the corner flag.

We were not going to get **** after minute 30 and we were going to be punished for anything the Liverpool home crowd screamed about. It is the team's job to deal with it. Not acting according to this is the only blame I lay at Xhaka's door. Otherwise I am 100% behind him!

 

[NZgunner]

I think most of the people exonerating Xhaka probably watch highlights rather than full games, and have never experienced an emotionally charged stadium atmosphere.

It was a stupid reaction, at a terrible time, and had immediate consequences. We'll never know what might have happened if Xhaka had kept control of himself. Yes, there were many other mistakes and incidents that aren't Xhaka's fault, and it is unfair to solely blame him for the loss (Zinchenko's poor defending was much more of a problem, as was Arteta's game management) - but it was a game punctuated by his reaction and the ensuing momentum shift in Liverpool's favour.