ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES, XHAKA, NOT YOUR SOCKS

EVERYTHING that is wrong with the most recent edition of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal was there in the actions of granit Xhaka around Manchester United’s first goal on Sunday. he attempted a foolish tackle, which he missed, then did not bother to recover and track Paul Pogba into the penalty area. As Pogba was scoring, Xhaka was pulling up his socks, yards off the play. this is the man wearing the captain’s armband for Arsenal at Old trafford. it is not the first time Xhaka (below) has shown no appetite for the work of a central midfielder and, had Wenger remained, it would not be the last. his indulgence of a player who could not lace the boots of Arsenal’s great midfield captains — think of Patrick vieira, for the same club, in the same stadium — is one of the reasons his teams have become so tame. Compare Xhaka’s displays to those of roberto Firmino — not the same position, but in terms of commitment — the recipient of a contract in the region of £150,000 a week from Liverpool. he has scored 27 goals this season, with 16 assists, but it is his work-rate that stands out. Even in his first season at Liverpool, analysts were astonished by his numbers, his closing down of opponents. Even better than Luis Suarez, they said. And Suarez was as good as they had seen. Firmino is the epitome of what the best modern football demands. not just in terms of technique but endeavour and responsibility. Firmino’s selflessness makes his team-mates better — Xhaka lets his colleagues down. if Wenger does not confront this, his successor surely will.