BBC pundit names Arsenal ace in his TOTW after first thinking Arteta had ‘lost the plot’ by starting him

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Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has made Garth Crooks’ Premier League Team of the Week, the BBC Sport pundit admitting he first thought Mikel Arteta had “finally lost the plot” by starting him against Chelsea.

Prior to their Emirates Stadium clash against the Blues, the Gunners were in dire straits, sitting 15th in the table without a league win since early November, eight defeats from 14 league games and just 12 league goals to their name.

Xhaka had just returned from a three-game suspension, having been sent off against Burnley after appearing to grab Ashley Westwood around the throat, and was named in the starting XI against Frank Lampard’s charges.

Arsenal went on to deliver a great performance, running out 3-1 winners over Chelsea, with Xhaka controlling the midfield, tormenting the opposition with his passing, and even netting a superb free kick.

“When I saw Xhaka in the line-up to face Chelsea, I thought Arteta had finally lost the plot,” Crooks wrote on BBC Sport.

“How could any manager trust the midfielder, having practically throttled Burnley’s Ashley Westwood in a previous fixture, initiating his own downfall and marching orders during Arsenal’s hour of need?

“With Gabriel, Willian and David Luiz all out for various reasons and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the bench, Arsenal were in desperate need of Xhaka’s experience in a team full of kids.

“What I didn’t expect was for Xhaka to play such an influential part in, what was without doubt, their most important result of the season.

“It takes manager Arteta off skid row, and puts some very important confidence back into a side that is struggling at the moment. The Swiss international’s free-kick to put Arsenal 2-0 up wasn’t bad either.”

TBR View:

Amazing how quickly things change in football, with heroes becoming zeroes in one single moment, and likewise, zeroes becoming heroes once again.

Xhaka continues to split opinion amongst the Gunners fanbase but there’s no denying he made amends for his Burnley error with an inspired performance against Chelsea, as did the rest of the team.