GRANIT XHAKA has been hailed as Arsenal’s “real captain” for his leadership mentality during the North London derby.
The 30-year-old has enjoyed an incredible redemption among the Emirates faithful after being stripped of the captaincy and on the brink of an exit back in 2019.
But now he is well on his way to establishing himself as a fan favourite.
And Arsenal supporters absolutely loved his reaction to the opening goal in today’s crucial 3-1 victory over Tottenham.
Thomas Partey opened the scoring with a thunderbolt from outside the box to send the Emirates wild.
Xhaka though was quick to make sure his team-mates didn’t get carried away with their celebrations.
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The Swiss midfield gathered the team in a huddle and barked instructions to them in apparent order for them not to celebrate too hard.
Xhaka’s team-talk appeared to do the trick, as Mikel Arteta’s side rallied after Harry Kane’s equaliser to make it seven wins out of eight in the Premier League.
And fans on social media couldn’t get enough of it.
One giddy Arsenal fan wrote: “Loved how Xhaka regrouped everyone during that celebration – leader.”
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Another said: “Xhaka cutting celebrations short to chat game plan that’s so real.”
A third gushed: “He might not have the armband, but Xhaka is the real captain of that Arsenal team.”
And a fourth said: “You saw that Xhaka team talk when the team was celebrating during the goal! My CAPTAIN!”
Xhaka in fact did take the captain’s armband for the last 10 minutes of the game when skipper Martin Odegaard was replaced.
It was an all round perfect day for the midfielder, who also scored Arsenal’s third to seal the three points after Gabriel Jesus had bundled the Gunners back in front.
The result means Arteta’s side will stay top of the table regardless of what Manchester City do in tomorrow’s clash with Manchester United.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
