Xhaka: Arteta completely changed me and my time at Arsenal meant a lot to me
6686 Sports News, November 6 Recently, Sunderland midfielder Xhaka accepted an exclusive interview with The Athletic. In the interview, Xhaka talked about the feeling of joining Sunderland, his time at Arsenal, and issues related to Arteta. He said Arsenal holds a special place in his heart and being able to stay with the Gunners for seven years means a lot to him. In this round of the Premier League, Sunderland will face Arsenal at home.
On what it was like to join Sunderland
“Scoring the first goal for a new club is always special, although I don’t think Sunderland brought me here with the intention of me scoring every game (laughs). Favorite moment, that was definitely my first day here – walking into Sunderland for the first time Lan this door, there is that special feeling here. I believe that the first step, the first step into the lounge, you need to have a positive attitude."
"This is our place, we are here from nine o'clock in the morning to three o'clock in the afternoon. It’s not a good feeling. After 10 games, if someone told us we could get 18 points, they would laugh. But we know what we are building and what we want to achieve.” Not there. After 38 games, let's see where we are. After 10 games, no one will be relegated and no one will win the league. If you lose the remaining 28 games, forget about the previous 10 games. "Now that Sunderland are fourth in the Premier League after 10 games, relegation does not seem to be a big problem.
On Arteta
“I will never forget Arteta’s first day. At the training ground we had a big room with some chairs, but they were everywhere - it was chaos. He brought all the staff in the building He called the room and said, 'Guys, from the outside, you look like this. It's chaos. ' So everybody got a chair and put it in the right spot, and he said, 'I expect you to look like this every day.' "You're like, 'Wow,' he set the standard that first day. After that, he started developing our mindset and setting standards for practice, pre-match preparation, activation and recovery. The talent he brought in was outstanding. It's great to work with him because he understands football like no other. ”
Talk about the controversial incident at Arsenal
In October 2019, during the home team’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, Xhaka was replaced by Emery, and the fans at the scene let out deafening boos. Responding to the crowd's strong dissatisfaction with his behavior, Xhaka made a provocative move towards the fans at the home team, then took off his captain's badge, took off his uniform, and walked directly into the tunnel. He was subsequently stripped of the captain's badge, causing public outcry, and he did not play in five games and was on the verge of leaving the team.
Regarding this matter, Xhaka said, "After this misunderstanding... I call it a misunderstanding between me and the fans, of course the matter is much more serious than this, absolutely, no doubt. I don't need to lie, everyone knows what's going on. Let’s just say I still don’t know what exactly happened that day and why. ”
“When Arteta came, we had a very candid conversation. My luggage is packed and I'm ready to go. At that time I had been offered a contract by another football club. Mikel and I talked twice and he advised me to stay and give me another chance. He wanted me to understand that I was in the right place. From that day on, I felt that everything he said to me for the first time was true as he said it. "
"That's why I say that when Arteta came here in 2019, he completely changed me as a person - both on and off the playing field. It has been almost seven years since 2019. I was 26 or 27 years old at the time. Maybe at this age, some people are more mature, maybe I was not mature at the time. Arteta changed a lot of things, including the people who came to speak, and I changed some of the people around me. Of course, my family also helped. This is difficult to do on your own. ”
