Oh Captain, my Captain! Xhaka out, Auba in

It was hardly a stunner today when Unai Emery stripped the captain’s arm band from Granit Xhaka and awarded it to our leading goal scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,

This was good news for Arsenal Nation as Xhaka has been in the headlines consistently since his disrespectful display coming off the field vs. Crystal Palace. The Swiss made a late week statement to try to smooth things over, but apparently the Arsenal brass thought it was too little too late to save his captain’s role.

Auba is a good choice to be the team’s captain, however, many fans favored Matteo Guendouzi getting the nod. The young Frenchman has definitely been one of the squad’s brightest and most consistent performers this campaign, but in my opinion, he needs more experience both on and off the field to assume such responsibility. In another year or two, Matteo will become a terrific captain for Arsenal.

Now, what’s the future for Xhaka at Arsenal? He is done, or will he be given a second chance by Emery and the club’s supporters? If the latter is the case, he will need to demonstrate some real guts and glory on the pitch and become the leader he should already have been. Emery has given him another game off to get his head together, so he will have to enjoy the game from home when the Gunners face Vitoria tomorrow in Portugal.

As for Auba, the Gabon international will be required to lead by example both on the field and in the dressing room. His teammates need the direction and inspiration they have so badly been missing. It is even more critical for this to happen now since the manager’s future is hanging by a thread. Bellerin, Ozil and Lacazatte will serve as the vice captains.

Will this switch give the squad a fresh start, or are we on the brink of another drama to shake this team to its very core? As they say, only time will tell.

If you have a comment, please click on the date at the top of the post, or send me an email at yankeegooner1953@yahoo.com.

Cheers. Gunner1953