Stephan Lichtsteiner comes out in support of Granit Xhaka and opines on what went wrong with Unai Emery.
Lichtsteiner claims that Emery struggled with Arsenal’s big stars and insists that Xhaka deserves respect
Former Arsenal manager, Emery may have retained his job beyond last week if the Spaniard was able to deal with the big-name stars at Arsenal, according to Stephan Lichtsteiner.
Emery was fired after a poor run of form, but he fell out with most of his players and some reports even claimed that he lost the dressing room before he was fired.
“I’d say [he is] a good trainer, a good coach, but maybe he struggled with the top players,” Lichtsteiner told iNews as cited by goal.com.
“With the big players, he hasn’t maybe the relationship to bring more out [of them] and get the top performances.
“Maybe that point I can say [something] negative, but the rest was almost everything positive.”
The current Augsburg defender left the Emirates stadium after just a season but he was one of the most underperforming players during his stint at the Emirates.
He also weighed in on Xhaka’s meltdown and is convinced that the former Arsenal captain deserves more respect.
“I understand both sides, you know? I understand the fans, because there is an ambition and they want to win,” he said. “They are not happy, of course, but I understand Granit also because this [reaction] is just human. He deserves more respect, because he gives everything for Arsenal. I see how he works, he is 100 per cent professional.
“On the other side, the bigger the club is the bigger the pressure. As a football player, you need to manage that pressure because it’s part of the game.
“It’s normal in football, especially when you are at a big club, this pressure, so it’s completely human what has happened with Granit but I hope for him, and for Arsenal, that they are going to find a good solution. It’s important for the team and for him also.”
Lichtsteiner opinion may fall on deaf ears
I am not sure that Lichtsteiner has the respect or gravitas for the Arsenal fans to listen to him. He was utterly dreadful in an Arsenal shirt and did not exactly put his body on the line.
I also suspect that many will disagree with him about respecting Xhaka, not after he swore at the fans.