Amidst the stressful match between Arsenal and Swansea there was one incident that the host side would insist on forgetting. Xhaka’s ill-timed tackle saw the Gunners ten-men down making it a tense ending to a exciting match.
The Swiss took Swansea’s Modou Barrow down with a lunge from behind which saw him sent off in the 70th minute.
Arsene Wenger claimed the decision was rather harsh but did not deny the validity of the foul.
“It looked harsh to me,” Wenger commented on referee’s decision according to Arsenal.com.
“But it was a deliberate foul. It looked a dark yellow – and the referee went for a bright red.”
The Frenchman shared his decision of not appealing against the red card but hopes the midfielder has learnt from his mistake.
“I think intelligence means you don’t make the same mistake twice, and I hope he learns from that,” added Wenger.
“Before, in Germany, he had some [red cards] but I don’t think he’s a dirty player at all.
“Sometimes there have been some clumsy tackles, because he’s not a natural defender, he’s a guy who likes to play forward.
“I will speak to him. I think Barrow made a lot of it as well, because he could go on. But the referee saw a bad tackle and you have to respect that. It is what it is, and he has to learn from it.”
Xhaka had a poor disciplinary record prior to debuting in the Premier League. The 24-year-old had five red cards to his name when he played for Borussia Monchengladbach and was sent off for Switzerland while on international duty in September.
The defensive midfielder has earned himself a good reputation with the Gunners scoring two fantastic long-range goals against Hull City and Nottingham Forest, and it is hoped Xhaka doesn’t let his poor judgement overshadow his skillful presence on the pitch in the future and returns to making a positive impact for the Gunners after his ban.