Xhaka claims he gets scapegoat treatment by Arsenal supporters

The Swiss midfielder’s actions have gotten him into trouble a few times, with one incident leading to him losing the club captaincy.

Granit Xhaka claims he receives unfair criticism at Arsenal but insists the brickbats “won’t break” him.

Nine times has Xhaka been sent off during his five years at Arsenal so far, with his latest sending-off coming against Burnley in December 2020.

He was initially given a yellow card but it was changed into a red on VAR review for violent conduct as he had grabbed Ashley Westwood’s throat.

Back in 2019, he was stripped of his club captaincy following an extraordinary fallout with the Gunners fan base. He reacted in a disrespectful manner to the home fans on being booed while coming off in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at the Emirates.

Despite his disciplinary record, the 28-year-old feels he gets unfairly singled out for criticism.

“You have to live with criticism in football, but there have to be limits,” said Xhaka, via Goal.

“There are other players who get red cards, but they don’t get criticized as much as I do. I sometimes feel that with me it is deliberately made into a bigger issue than it really is.

“But it won’t break me. I overcome it, and this time it has made me come back stronger – no doubt to many people’s surprise.”