Granit Xhaka gave a brutally honest assessment after Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle United, insisting that the Gunners do not deserve to play in the Champions League next season at Tottenham’s expense.
The pressure was on Arsenal after Spurs ground out a 1-0 win against Burnley on Sunday to go two points clear of Mikel Arteta’s men in the race for Champions League qualification.
Arsenal needed a response at St James’ Park following their 3-0 loss in the North London Derby on Thursday but they once again seemed to wilt under the pressure, with Newcastle emerging deserved 2-0 winners in their final home game of the season.
The result puts a major dent on Arsenal’s hopes of finishing fourth, with Spurs now only needing a point at Carrow Road to book their place in the Champions League, given their vastly superior goal difference.
Xhaka blasted his teammates for the performance they put in and insisted that they do not even deserve to play Europa League football next season.
The Swiss international told Sky Sports: “It’s difficult to find the right words. From the first minute to the 90th we didn’t deserve to be on the pitch.
“I can’t explain to you why. We didn’t do what the game plan was, not listening to the coach. What happened was a disaster performance. You don’t deserve to play the Champions League or even Europa League.
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“It’s very hard to take it at the moment. I don’t know why we’re not doing what the coach is asking for us.”
Asked if inexperience in the squad was an issue, Xhaka responded: “If someone isn’t ready for this game, stay at home. It doesn’t matter your age. If you’re nervous, stay on the bench or stay at home.
“You need people to have the balls to come here and play. It’s one of the most important games for us. We’re feeling very disappointed for the people who came over here. Sorry to them [fans], I don’t have any other words.
“The dressing room is very quiet. The game plan was totally different to what we did over 90 minutes. We are waiting for six years. We had everything in our hands. We looked like we were in the position where Newcastle are and they were where we are.”
Spurs Web Opinion
If we manage to get a result at Carrow Road, it will be the sixth time in a row that we have finished above Arsenal in the Premier League. Maybe it is time we started our own annual festival like St Totteringham’s Day when Arsenal can no longer catch us.
Given the turmoil surrounding Kane’s future and Nuno’s reign at the start of this season, this was Arsenal’s best chance of finishing above us and they bottled it. Now that they have given Arteta a three-year contract, I expect us to finish at least 10 points clear of them next season.
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