Former Arsenal star Granit Xhaka sends rallying cry to his old team-mates after back-to-back defeats against Aston Villa and Bayern Munich left them at risk of missing out on silverware this season
- Arsenal’s season took a hit after Bayern knocked them out of Europe
- Ex-Gunners star Granit Xhaka sent an inspiring message to his old teammates
- Hope is not lost for Arsenal and it is wrong that Oleksandr Zinchenko is a scapegoat: listen to the It all starts podcast
Former Arsenal star Granit
The Gunners have had an incredible season in which they have played some excellent football under Mikel Arteta, scoring 75 goals to add to their title win, but a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa handed the initiative to Man City.
Just days later, Arteta’s side were dumped out of the Champions League after an aggregate 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich, putting them at risk of missing out on victory this season.
Xhaka left the Emirates for Bayer Leverkusen last summer and achieved immediate success, winning the Bundesliga title after an unbeaten season so far under boss Xabi Alonso, while they are still in the race to win the Europa League and German Cup .
He told Arsenal to continue to believe they could end the season with a trophy. He said one or two defeats will not define their campaign after building an unbeaten run that stretched to 11 games in the Premier League, which Villa ended last week.
Ex-Arsenal star Granit Xhaka has sent his old team a rallying cry after back-to-back defeats
The Gunners are at risk of ending the season without any silverware after being dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern following an embarrassing defeat to Aston Villa
Xhaka made 297 appearances for the Gunners and won two trophies during his time in north London
‘This is part of the game, I think it was ten to eleven games unbeaten. If you lose one match, it doesn’t mean you’ve lost everything,” he said via the mirror.
‘There are still six games to go in the Premier League and there is still a great chance of winning the Premier League title. I certainly wish them all the best, because I am still in contact with the staff and players and still watch the matches.’
When asked if he believed the club could win a trophy soon, he added: “I hope so because the team, the staff and the football club also deserve to win trophies.
‘They are very close this year, just like last year, but football is about small details. I hope they can do it.’
The Swiss international has just won the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, while his side are unbeaten so far this season
Xhaka, who made 297 appearances for the Gunners and won the FA Cup twice, has been one of the stars of the season for Leverkusen. He started 29 games in the league and seven in Europe, scoring twice.
The Swiss international played the full 90 minutes against West Ham in the Europa League quarter-final, helping the team win 3-1 after Jeremy Frimpong’s goal canceled out Michail Antonio’s opener.
They meet Roma in the semi-finals, and Xhaka stressed that Leverkusen are still hungry for more silverware after winning the Bundesliga.
‘It’s difficult to find the right words [to sum up his emotions]Xhaka said. ‘To come back after my first season in the league is incredible.
‘When you kick a ball at a young age, you dream of moments like this. It was hard work day in, day out, with everyone involved in this club.
‘In my fourteen-year football career it is special for me, but even more special for this club. Now we want more, and the others want one too.’
