Granit Xhaka pulled no punches in damning interview after Arsenal lost grip on CL place

Granit Xhaka pulled no punches after Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United.

On the back of losing the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, who then proceeded to defeat Burnley 1-0, there was no room for error as Arsenal made the trip to St. James’ Park.

However, what happened next was simply a case of Arsenal not turning up, watching on as their Champions League dreams crumbled before their eyes in a truly anonymous performance.

While Ben White’s own goal and Bruno Guimarães’s strike might take the headlines, the real theme of the game was just how pedestrian Arsenal seemed in such a crucial game in their season.

As such, when the final whistle sounded in the north-east, there was a tangible sense of deflation amongst the Arsenal squad as they fell to the turf shell-shocked by what had just happened.

You really did get the sense that the north London club had shrunk once the pressure was on, and let’s just say that Xhaka’s post-match comments did nothing to dispel that suspicion.

That’s because the Swiss midfielder, who is one of the more senior players in the Premier League‘s youngest squad, didn’t mince his words when he was asked for his thoughts on the performance.

In fact, not only did Xhaka say that Arsenal’s display didn’t even warrant Europa League football, but he insinuated that some of his teammates might not have been ready for the occasion.

According to the Express, Xhaka said to Sky Sports: “It’s difficult to find the right words. From the first minute to the 90th we didn’t deserve to be on the pitch.

“I can’t explain to you why. We didn’t do what the game plan was, not listening to the coach. What happened was a disaster performance. You don’t deserve to play Champions League or even Europa