Arsenal saw off FC Zurich last night to get their European campaign underway in the best possible way, as Marquinhos and Eddie Nketiah scored the goals.
The Gunners are looking to push on both fronts this season and Mikel Arteta played a strong looking side against the Swiss side, albeit he did ring some changes.
The likes of Nketiah and Marquinhos were given starts, while Takehiro Tomiyasu were given minutes as well.
Of course, midfield stalwart Granit Xhaka captained the side and he was on fine form as well. Indeed, as pointed out by Football London, Xhaka was in no mood to see standards slip either.
According to FL, the midfielder was spotted absolutely berating Tomiyasu just after Nketiah had scored. It’s claimed Xhaka was telling the defender he needed to tuck inside more and contribute in-field.
Certainly, it was the sort of moment that has propelled Xhaka up the pecking order under Mikel Arteta and led to him being part of the Arsenal leadership group.
Xhaka has been integral to the Gunners ever since Arteta took over. Putting aside some blips and disciplinary issues, the Swiss star is very much seen as one of the first names on the team sheet now.
A few seasons back you’d have been hard pressed to find an Arsenal fan who wouldn’t have been happy to see the back of Granit Xhaka.
But fast forward in time to the 22/23 season, and we see a player at the top of his game and relishing being one of the main men at the club. You could see last night he wanted to impose himself on the game and if that meant getting