Granit Xhaka on learning from Arsenal’s mistakes last season at Leverkusen
Granit Xhaka was a fan favourite for Arsenal in the last few years he spent at the club and seeing him leave for Bayer Leverkusen in the summer was a hard one for a lot of fans but once a gunner, always a gunner. Arsenal fans will be happy to see him and his new team doing so well this season in the Bundesliga. Leverkusen currently sit top of the table 10 points clear of Bayern Munich, and look to be in prime position to take the title this season if all things go to plan.
Xhaka himself has had a great season in Germany and has recently spoke to The Athletic about how his experience with Arsenal last season and coming so close to taking away The Premier League title has taught him to keep a level head and continue to push every game and try help his new teammates do the same, because as we all know, with football anything can happen and nothing is set in stone.
With Leverkusen being in somewhat of the same position as we were last season, Xhaka can draw on experience and hopefully educate his teammates on how to go about this fight to what could be Leverkusen’s first ever title in the Bundesliga, and said this “We should be proud of our position but nothing is won yet — I am speaking from my own experience of last season”.
“We had a similar points advantage over the team in second and we did not win the league, so I know this experience and I have shared it with the dressing room”.
“10 points is a lot when you have 10 games left, but there are still 30 points left to take so it is not over.”
Xhaka saying that he has warned his Leverkusen teammates of the possible outcome and to not take their feet of the pedal until the very last game, also saying this “Yes, and they know — they are asking me day by day because I have been in this situation before,” Xhaka said. “I was asked how it was, what happened to us, but you cannot explain with words, you have to feel it.
“That is why you must stay humble and work each day, like we have done all season and then see where we are after 34 games.”
Leverkusen and the experienced Xhaka will next face off against Qarabag in the Europa league before they get set to face off against Wolfsburg in the League and will be hoping to keep up this incredible form going forward as they try do the unthinkable, and win the League title for the first time in their history. With such a dominant force of Bayern Munich following behind they will need to treat every game like a final from here forward.
Arsenal fans will be hoping to see our ex 31-year-old midfielder lift the title this season as we and Leverkusen both fight for that league title, with both having learnt from last season’s disappointment.
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