Child’s play for Daniel
ROCKED GRANIT SPARED MORE EMIRATES AGONY
GRANIT XHAKA has been spared another Emirates ordeal – because his head is still spinning from Arsenal fans’ abuse.
Despite training as usual, he will miss today’s home game against Wolves.
Boss Unai Emery confirmed his captain will be absent, saying: “It is not in my mind that he is playing tomorrow.”
But £350,000-a-week enigma Mesut Ozil, handed his first game for more than a month in the Carabao Cup thriller at Liverpool, is in the squad and could make only his second Premier League appearance of the season.
Xhaka was never likely to feature against Wolves after telling his own fans to “f*** off” and sarcastically conducting their jeers in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace last weekend.
And by staying out of the firing line this weekend, the Swiss midfielder will not have to face his critics until the home game against Southampton on November 23.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will captain the Gunners this afternoon but Emery hasn’t revealed if Xhaka will remain in office as his skipper when the heat has died down.
Emery said: “He is training normally, but like every human he feels emotions. Xhaka’s issues last week need time to recover with us.
“Everybody will have some social media on their phone, on the internet, on the web, but really to use it is only to be intelligent.
“We can respect the people on social media, but we have to separate how much of it is real and whether every supporter is following that.
“In the stadium, it is normal when we are not winning that they respond with some criticism – and then, when you come back with a good performance, they forget that and they applaud the players.
“Xhaka has said sorry and now the focus is on our next match.”
Ozil’s return to the frame will give fans fresh hope he could stay, with Emery adding: “Now I am seeing him positive and consistent. His performance at Liverpool is the way we want.
“I an helping him, supporting him, demanding of him. This is the Mesut I think everyone wants.
“When you talk about players who are ready to play under high pressure, he is one of them.” the normality with him and
NORWICH boss Daniel Farke has backed his baby boomers to rattle Brighton.
Kenny McLean became dad to daughter Marcy on Thursday, while Onel Hernandez was still anxiously waiting for his partner to give birth.
Farke said: “If we can gain more points than children this week, then I’ll be absolutely happy.
“It’s even more important to gain a few points now, so we’re still greedy and highly motivated.”
Hernandez will have to make his own way to the seaside if he becomes a father in time as the Canaries’ team bus left Norfolk while he was at the hospital.
But Norwich fans are hoping the Cuba winger’s weekend ends up going as well as Russell Martin’s did on September 20, 2015.
The then Norwich skipper became a dad for a third time at 9.25am that day before flying up to Liverpool and scoring against them in a 1-1 draw.
Farke said: “Hopefully we will have a nice message and a nice surprise later on. We still hope Onel can be available.
“I was tempted to send one of our injured players to the hospital instead but he didn’t accept this.”
Norwich are in the bottom three after two wins from 10 games.
Brighton will be banking on midfielder Pascal Gross, who is ranked fourth when it comes to top-flight chances.
Boss Graham Potter believes that shows why the German playmaker is crucial to his side’s hopes of staying clear of trouble.
Gross scored his first goal of the season in the 3-2 victory over Everton. And Potter wants more of the same when the Seagulls seek a third successive home win.
He said: “The hardest thing is to score goals, so anybody who can help you do that is going to be important.”