Arsenal Must Move on From ‘liability’ Granit Xhaka If They Want To Progress Under Mikel Arteta – Jamie Carragher

Arsenal are being held back by “liability” Granit Xhaka, according to Jamie Carragher, who believes the club must move on from him if they are to grow under Mikel Arteta.

In the first half of Thursday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool at Anfield, the Swiss international was issued his sixth red card of his Arsenal career for a last-man foul on Diogo Jota.

Granit Xhaka apologized on social media after receiving a straight red card for fouling Diogo Jota; despite his dismissal, The Gunners held Liverpool to a goalless draw. “They have to move on from that player,” Jamie Carragher remarked of Xhaka.

Arsenal are being held back by “liability” Granit Xhaka, according to Jamie Carragher, who believes the club must move on from him if they are to grow under Mikel Arteta.

In the first half of Thursday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool at Anfield, the Swiss international was issued his sixth red card of his Arsenal career for a last-man foul on Diogo Jota.

Following his dismissal, the Gunners put in a spirited defensive effort, frustrating Liverpool and securing a goalless draw, after which Xhaka apologized on social media.

Carragher, on the other hand, believes Xhaka’s “ridiculous” foul, which occurred as he chased Jota down after receiving a long pass from Andrew Robertson, was simply the latest example of him letting his younger teammates down.

At halftime, the Sky Sports analyst said, “Xhaka does what Xhaka does.” “When Jota still has so much to do, he creates a preposterous challenge. The manner in which he has taken him out and the power with which he has done so. It’s without a doubt a red card.”

Following the game, Carragher said: “Every manager chose him from the outside, therefore I believe he must be a good character, a good trainer, and a good guy.

“He’s also a good player, as seen by his appearances in a Switzerland shirt and on occasion in an Arsenal shirt. However, in terms of what we saw tonight, he has reached the point where he is a liability.

“We can talk about how good Arsenal was, but when you’re down to ten men at Anfield, you don’t just lose the game; you’re likely out of the competition.

“In that situation, Liverpool should aim to win 2-0, maybe 3-0, and the game should be over. It all boils down to Arsenal having ten men on the field, which happens much too often.

“We talked about how well Arsenal played against Man City, but that was also wrecked, and Xhaka was once again involved [conceding the equalizer penalty].

“It happens far too frequently these days. He’s hardly a young lad who you’d expect to learn from his mistakes. He’s one of their more experienced players, and that’s what’s holding Arsenal back from taking the next step.

“I’m blown away by Mikel Arteta and these young players and what they’ve accomplished this season, but the team’s more seasoned players are letting them down.

“It’s usually the other way around, which poses a major concern for Arsenal in the future.

“It’s not going to alter any time soon. We’re talking about a player who has appeared in about 250 Arsenal games. They need to move on from that player.”

Meanwhile, Paul Merson thought it was unfair to single out Xhaka for criticism over the red card because of Arsenal’s defensive disarray when Liverpool counter-attacked.

“It wasn’t anything I’ve seen from Granit Xhaka through the years that makes me wonder, ‘What have you done that for?'” Merson remarked.

“There’s no way I’d go after him there. For starters, he’s going backwards. He could have become irritable and declared, “I’m not doing that.”

“In addition, there were far too many guys in that circumstance who were in limbo.

“It ends up with Xhaka getting another red card, but we would have claimed it was unlucky if Kierney had been sent off.”