Granit Xhaka will captain Arsenal for the rest of this season after winning a vote held by the squad to determine who should wear the armband, but he has been challenged by Unai Emery to battle negative perceptions about his suitability for the role and his place in the team.
The Swiss midfielder will head a five-strong leadership group after the poll, necessitated by the departures of Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal, after meeting a number of criteria Emery had laid down for his new captain. In descending order, his deputies will be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Héctor Bellerín, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Özil.
“I gave them [a list of] values and qualities to decide the captain and we used the vote; I wanted to know their opinion on that,” Emery said. “[Xhaka] is mature and he has experience, and we are living all the time under pressure, under criticism as coaches, as players, as a club. The most important thing is to stand up in each moment, go ahead and show his quality with his behaviour, with his commitment. In the dressing room the players voted for him as the first.”
The decision is hardly a surprise, with Xhaka having worn the armband in his previous six appearances this season, but there remain serious reservations about his form. A section of supporters jeered him when he was substituted in the 72nd minute of last Sunday’s dramatic win over Aston Villa and, on recent evidence, it would not be outlandish to pick a first-choice Arsenal midfield that did not include him.
“After [the vote was decided] I spoke with him and we want to change that opinion outside because that respect he has inside the dressing room is very, very important,” Emery said. “I trust and believe in him; he is a good man, a good professional, a good player. Sometimes he has made a mistake, yes, but the most important thing is to analyse, learn and correct that in the future.”
Xhaka seems certain to retain his place when Arsenal visit Manchester United on Monday. That match may come too soon for Rob Holding, Bellerín and Kieran Tierney, who returned in the Carabao Cup win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, to make their first league appearances of the season but all three are available.