BBC pundit Kevin Kilbane has claimed that Xhaka has a tendency of doing something stupid every game, after he conceded a penalty that gave Stoke City the lead at Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, as per BBC Sport.
The midfielder who is known for his aggressive play, caught Joe Allen inside the penalty box with his elbow in the 27th minute resulting in a penalty for the visiting side.
Charlie Adam converted the spot-kick to put Stoke 1-0 up before Theo Walcott levelled for the home side late in the first half and goals from Mesut Ozil and Alex Iwobi in the second half sealed the points .
The 24-year-old has already picked up two red cards this season, one on international duty and the other being for Arsenal in their 3-2 win over Swansea in October.
Kilbane was unimpressed with Xhaka, suggesting that the Swiss international is always on the edge for no reason.
Speaking to BBC, he said:
It looked like a penalty to me initially because Granit Xhaka goes over the top on Joe Allen.
Xhaka does something stupid every game he plays in, he’s on the edge for no reason.
Xhaka had an excellent game yesterday and the midfielder’s only mistake was to surrender the penalty to Joe Allen. There was a lot of outrage both during the live commentary and post match about how foolish was it to give away a penalty like that.
Was it a penalty?, yes most of referees would have given that although some might debate, but was it foolish from the new signing, no. He cleared the ball and left his elbow a little higher, but it was Allen’s pace and the angle at which he came which created the trouble and ultimately lead to the penalty, so Xhaka shouldn’t be blamed of being foolish.
The Swiss had another fantastic day, creating chances, picking out passing lanes and never being a liability. He has slid into this midfield captaincy role and made it his own. His consistency is so beautifully welcome and the steadiness in possession of the ball is top notch.
Xhaka deserves the credit of settling in pretty quick and is now proving why Wenger paid so much for him. Hopefully, he can continue his impressive run.
