LEVEL BEST FOR THANKS TO A
THERE might soon be a new term in the football lexicon known as ‘having a Granit Xhaka.’ It won’t be logged in the section that includes the Cruyff turn, the Panenka penalty or those other flashes of genius. Instead, it will be with the less complimentary phrases that illustrate football can be the stuff of nightmares as well as dreams. No player in the Premier League has made more mistakes leading to opposition goals in the last five seasons than Xhaka. It has become a rather irritating habit – especially if you’re an Arsenal fan.
But error No.8 in the Swiss midfielder’s collection might just be his crowning glory.
The Gunners were leading through Pierre-emerick Aubameyang’s sixth-minute strike and looking in complete control when Xhaka dropped deep to offer keeper Bernd Leno the chance to find him with a short pass.
With Burnley striker Matejvydra hovering behind, the sensible thing would have been to roll the ball back for Leno to clear.
Instead, Xhaka attempted to find David Luiz with a pass that should have come with a written apology to manager Mikel Arteta.
Because Chris
Wood (right) was directly in Xhaka’s chosen flightpath
– all 6ft 3ins and 14 stones of him – and the New Zealander didn’t even have to move as the ball bounced off his hip and rolled into an empty net six minutes before the break.
Wood didn’t know whether to apologise or celebrate the most freakish goal of his career. His shrug of the shoulders said it all. Arteta admirably refused to point a finger of blame. “It is the way I want us to play,” said the Gunners boss. “You just have to know when to take the risk and it is something we talk about all the time.
“But if someone makes a mistake when they are trying to play, I will always support them.
“It is when people are hiding and don’t want to play that I won’t support them.”
Instead,arteta laid into referee Andre Marriner for failing to award his team a second-half penalty when the ball hit Erik Pieters on the arm. “If that isn’t a penalty then I would like someone to tell me what is a penalty in this league,” moaned Arteta, conveniently turning a blind eye to a challenge onvydra by Bukayo Saka that might have earned Burnley a rare spot-kick.
Pieters came on as a substitute just after the half-hour. The Dutchman forced Leno into a brilliant save and was also saved from giving away a penalty and being sent off by the VAR official, who